The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Anxiety

I am currently experiencing anxiety caused by the possibility of humiliating myself at an office spelling bee. Some of my opponents in the bee are such that, had I participated in any other spelling competitions in my lifetime, I would be fully in a position to tell someone that “this time it's personal.” My history, however, is a total blank, free of any previous, non-personal spelling bees. Even so, it's personal, and I don't have a chance.

And yes, I also suffer from a sadly non-paralyzing fear that discussing the place where I work makes me a boring person. However, if I am bowed down by the terrors induced by my inability to spell even the word “toboggan” to the extent that I'm forgetting to recheck the locks on the doors, then clearly the very foundations of this record are crumbling, and that's semi-noteworthy.

45. Fear that by the time you re-lock the locks, they’re already in the house.

46. Fear experienced while eating a peanut butter sandwich in a public place, accompanied by a desire to announce your intention before unwrapping any peanut product.

47. Fear that if you take a break from a book that you’ve read at work and then resume it a week later people will think you are a slow reader.

48. Fear of misspelling the word “public” in a letter.

48. Fear that your so-called “self-deprecating little asides” don’t even begin to cover it.

- Caitlin