The other day, Chris and I were talking about the possibility of my enlisting in the Reserve again. One of our friends had been talking about potential billets for linguists, and I got a little excited. And then I started thinking up scenarios. Things like “What if I deployed with a team of SEALs and I did a really good job and they were like, ‘Hey, Sespi, you can be a honorary part of our SEAL team,’ and then I was basically a SEAL?”
And Chris just looked at me and said, “Stop imagining.”
Then today, I was talking about that again (because obviously I can’t stop imagining) and I said, “Oh my gosh, what if one day they were like, ‘Hey Sespi, it doesn’t matter if you’re a girl, come out and kick in doors with us’ and then they let me kick in a door?” Chris, for some reason, decided to play along and said, “Do they actually kick in doors or do they use some kind of ram?” Then he probably instantly regretted it, because I said, “I have no idea! Oh my gosh, what if they use a ram and I tried to do it with my foot but I was too weak so I just bounced off and they were all, ‘Duh, we use a ram. Stupid.’”
It suddenly occurred to me that Chris doesn’t worry about things because he doesn’t have an imagination and I worry about things because I do. I shared this theory with him and he looked unconvinced, so I gave him the following example: “Someone tells you they need a briefing on some topic, so you say ok, prepare, give the briefing, and don’t think about it anymore. But if someone told me to give a briefing, I would say ok, go to prepare and then start thinking… What if I misspeak and no one catches it because I’m the ‘expert’ so they just take my word for it, but I’m not right and then they go to war? We could have spent 50 years avoiding war with the USSR and then I give a briefing and suddenly we’re in the middle of a nuclear war with Russia.”
Chris just stared at me.
I can only assume that it’s because he finally understands how stressful it is to have an imagination and was giving thanks that he doesn’t have one.
*Yes, I do say “was like” and “was all” and occasionally “was all like” when I talk. I’m from Southern California, give me a break.
I can totally relate. I make up all these potential scenarios and I have to convince myself, “Karen, no one thinks this much, stop.” Haha… Imaginarians unite! (See, I just imagined up that word!)
I think that much! I guarantee it! LOL. Imaginarians FTW!
I am reading through the Anne of Green Gables series, and although her imagination does get her into a lot of trouble, I wouldn’t love her the same if she didn’t have that over active imagination… Same goes
Hugs from Greece! P.S. I
Had a dream about your dogs the other night.
Huh, I do the same thing, but I always thought of it as a confidence issue. I imagine myself as a linguistics professor (if I were to choose that route), teaching a group of students. What if i made a mistake in explaining some theory or misspoke and they spent the rest of their lives falsely believing an incorrect theory? Or (possibly) worse, what if they knew I was wrong, or found out I was wrong soon after, and then just thought I was really dumb?
I don’t think it’s necessarily a confidence thing, because I do it with literally everything. Like, we’re going to Walmart. “Did we close the front door all the way? What if we didn’t and it blows open and the dogs get out and run down the street and the douchey neighbor shoots them?” Or “Did we remember to close the front windows? What if the pit bull across the street jumps the fence and comes and stands by the window and Bones gets so worked up that she breaks the screen and they get in a fight in our front yard and Animal Control takes her?” So I think it’s more of my ability to come up with 1,000 things that could possibly happen than a confidence thing.
Me and Ben are the same way! I think about things 1000 different ways and he is more matter of fact about it. And I say “like” and “was like” and “was all” all the time too
Uh, I’m from NH and I say “like” and “was all like”.
Glad to know that I’m not the only one with a runaway imagination, heehee!
Chris doesn’t know what he’s missing no imagination is a total shortfall!