Seattle Stress

I’ve heard stress can take a toll on the body. It’s true. Last week I developed a weird twitch in my left arm. I think it was more from not getting enough sleep but the not sleeping part was caused by stress. I know, I’ve got it good, why be stressed? It’s the waiting, the uncertainty, and the enormity of what lay ahead. Last night I could not get to sleep. My mind just wouldn’t stop racing. Eventually I resorted to Nyquil to knock me out and it worked as usual. ‘tis a faithful and reliable friend. Of course today I can barely keep my eyes open because they are half exhausted and half drugged. I also had crazy dreams including a fight with a friend, a boob job, and a party in Blacksburg. Weird.

On my way to the office yesterday I was crossing the street in a crosswalk when all of a sudden the guy passing me turned and said, “You got any money? Just a dollar?” My typical response is a cool but firm, “sorry man.” I’m just not inclined to give money to strangers on the street. I work downtown and this kind of thing happens a lot. I think my internal stress transformed itself into eyeball daggers because that was my response to this man yesterday. A full, evil, silent glare that I held on him eyeballs-to-eyeballs for an uncomfortable number of seconds. I think it communicated something like, “No. I am tired of people asking me for money. I am tired of you right this second. I am cranky, stressed, and just trying to cross the street.” Mean huh?

In another situation from this past weekend, I was in my car stopped at a red light with my window half way down. The panhandler on the corner approached my car with a painful hobble and half shouted oh-so-politely, “Hey! Hey! I just wanted to tell you that I like your sticker. I like your sticker!” Then he gave me a wave and a smile and hobbled back to the curb. That is the power of a Steelers sticker my friends. This guy was about 25, with only one leg and had probably lost the other in Iraq. Sure, maybe he says that kind of thing to everyone but somehow, I don’t think so. His motive could have been to appeal to the Steelers lover in me and then extort me for all the money I had. I don’t think that was his intention but it just might have worked. The Steelers community is remarkable and I am sure I will have much to say on the subject going forward. It is a community where we are all safe, we are all friends, and we reach out to one another. Let me tell you, if in that moment I had cash in my car for the one-legged Steelers fan, chances are I would have given him all of it.

At the end of the day, I am truly thankful that my stress is from waiting for a job offer and waiting for things to change for the better, not stress from trying to figure out where to sleep or what to eat. I will try to remember that the next time I am approached on the street. While I may not be inclined to hand over a dollar or two, a cup of coffee or even a hopeful smile might relieve a smidgen of stress for someone else, Steelers fan or not.