11:37 p.m. | 2005-10-14 Overreaching. Towards the end of the workday, I left the office for another doctor�s appointment. Another test. In my attempt to become a better steward of my health, I made this appointment. Without thought almost. Except that part within me that was wanting to achieve this as a show of good faith on my part towards taking proper care of myself. I was fine with it too. Until, I told a couple of my girlfriends what I�d signed up for. The response was like this. (Girlfriend:) Really? That�s your appointment for today? I�m so sorry. Did you remember to bring aspirin, or Alieve or whatever to take before the appointment? (CI:) Huh? I don�t know about this aspirin thing� why? What? Do you know something I don�t? (Girlfriend:) Oh, they recommend you take aspirin or something before the test� you know, to cope with the pain. You don�t know about that? (CI:) No, I do know about that � kinda. I know people say it�s painful, but I haven�t really thought about that part. That�s when I got a little anxious. About an hour before the appointment. For a brief moment, I wanted to cancel it because I was scared. I knew generally what would transpire but I didn�t know the details. And, I�m a stickler for the details. I tried to squelch that anxiety quickly but it lingered. Yet I continued forward. The fact that I couldn�t figure out how to don the gown didn�t help. Neither did the waiting. But all was okay once the testing commenced. Mostly because the technician engaged me in conversation. About my job. I don�t talk about my job so that caused a huge distraction which overwhelmed the experience. Before I knew it, the technician was congratulating me for producing �textbook perfect� results, thanking me for the conversation and sending me on my way. There really was no pain. A certain level of discomfort� sure. When the technician told me not to breathe, I found it somewhat ironic that I was without breath. Not altogether pleasant but not nearly as unpleasant as most of my testing has been. Yet, when I got home, I wanted to put socks on. Somewhat because it�s been a little chilly lately but mostly because all this constant prodding and poking around has led me to seek some level of down-home comfort. Mashed potatoes and socks are great for that. I don�t have any mashed potatoes but I do have socks. I had to reach deep into my sock drawer though as I�ve been wearing socks every night this week. And, while I have lots of socks, I only have certain amount of comfort socks. I�d almost hit my quota for this week. But I finally found one more pair. Buried deep. I pulled them out and quickly threw them on. Then, I laughed. A lot. As I write this, I have bright red socks on my feet. Fire engine red socks. They�re ridiculous. Every time I look at my feet, I laugh and cringe at the same time. I had no idea that I even had red socks. They do bring me comfort. As long as I don�t look at them. That�s not totally true because whenever I look down, I laugh. That brings me comfort too. They feel wonderfully sweet but are so totally comical. Yet somehow, they seem to be a perfect antidote for another uncomfortable bout of medical procedures. Who knows what I�ll pull out my sock drawer after my dentist appointment on Monday. I�m so ready for JournalCon. your thoughts? seed flower