“Did You Pack a Sweater?” The Moment It Hit Me
I stood frozen in the middle of the grocery store, a box of organic quinoa halfway to my cart. Did I pack a sweater? For what? I’m wearing a jacket! Then it hit me. That wasn’t my thought. It was hers. My mother‘s. Lurking in the depths of my subconscious, ready to pounce with practical advice at the most inopportune moments.
After a particularly grueling workout, I caught a glimpse of myself in the locker room mirror. My hair looked like a bird’s nest after a hurricane. “You call that brushed?” a voice chirped in my head, tinged with disapproval. I swear, I even heard the phantom clack of her favorite silver hairbrush against the bathroom counter.
Dinner Party Panic: The Case of the Missing Tupperware
The final straw came during a dinner party. I was feeling confident, charming even, as I served a homemade lasagna (okay, it was semi-homemade, but still!). As I scraped the last bit onto a plate, a familiar anxiety bubbled up. “There won’t be enough leftovers! And what about the Tupperware? Did someone bring their own?“
Suddenly, I was transported back to my childhood, watching my mother meticulously label every container at family gatherings. I scanned my friends, happily devouring my culinary masterpiece. Did they even own Tupperware? Were they secret Tupperware hoarders? My mind raced with worst-case scenarios.