The Big Three: Botulism, Tetanus, and Rabies

Hello Friends:

A subset of my anxieties center around what I refer to as 'The Big Three', that is Botulism, Tetanus, and Rabies. Even writing these words is hard, like somehow writing them out will make them happen. Seeing the word 'rabies' makes me grimace like I just ate a lemon. Bleh. In fact, when I went searching for a picture to pilfer for this blog, I foolishly did a search on 'microbe' and was confronted with a series of photos that made me feel my computer was actually getting contaminated. My heart rate went through the roof, I got nauseous, palms started to sweat - you know the drill - and so I had to rapidly abandon the idea of putting any 'real' pix here. Sometimes I wonder at myself. Instead you get "plush, cuddly microbes from nexus404". I'm not sure about this marketing angle ...

Anyway, these are not phobias for me, officially. They are the triggers for a powerful series of panic reactions related to my fears about contamination, invasion, and violation. Nothing can be worse than 'The Big Three'. These, for whatever reason, are the bad boys on the block for what I think will kill me painfully and irrevocably, and will rub it in by having been preventable had I been sufficiently paranoid. Ah, the impossible logic of the OCD mind.

But, some successes have been had. I'll detail that in other posts. Suffice it to say for now that not having croaked after a few+ decades of years, I'm starting to think 'The Big Three' might not actually be how I eventually buy the farm. Instead perhaps I shall buy them, in all their plush, cuddly varieties.

Your Hostess With Neuroses