Weird
Here’s the weirdest thing about me:
When I get really nervous or excited about something, I start gagging uncontrollably. Sometimes I gag so much that I throw up. It depends on just how nerve wracking and/or exciting that something is.
Things that have made me gag or throw up in the past:
First days of school
Job Interviews/First day at a new job
Vacations
Concerts
Fun activities like skiing (this is where my oddity first started, as a 3-year old about to enter ski school)
Big Nights out with friends (yeah, I throw up before we even start drinking)
I’m pretty sure I have plenty of big events left in my life to make me gag, don’t be surprised if I’m gagging my way down the aisle at my own wedding. That’ll be nice.
I’m not exactly sure why this happens. I’ve been doing it since I was a little kid, and I know my cousin who is 10 years older than me also does it so maybe it’s hereditary. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to control and hide it. I either figure out a way to suppress it before I leave the house, or sometimes I just get it over with. Sometimes I can predict it’s going to happen, and other times it’ll hit me out of nowhere. Most of my good friends have witnessed me bent over against the side of a building while walking down a New York City block. Some of them think it’s funny, some of them have to run away because the sight and sound of someone else throwing up will make them throw up too. I always feel bad when an unsuspecting stranger has to witness it, and I always wonder if they think I’m drunk or pregnant or just sick.
In addition to all of this, I have a really weak stomach in general. And a really strong gag reflex. This is not necessarily something I want a guy I’m interested to know about right off the bat, for obvious reasons, but it is what it is. I’ve learned to manage it in that area anyway and it’s never been a huge problem. Otherwise, I just really can’t handle bad smells, strong tastes, or seeing something gross. What’s really strange: another person throwing up doesn’t really bother me at all, or at least as much as you’d think it would. I guess it’s because I can empathize with them or something along those lines.
This isn’t something I’m necessarily embarrassed about. Usually I just feel bad for anyone who has to witness me in this state. In general, having dealt with it for about 23 years, I’m just used to it. Which is perhaps the most disarming thing for people who know me, and especially people who hate throwing up. For me, it’s simply a natural occurrence that I just handle and move on with the rest of my day. It doesn’t really bother me as much as some might think it should.
Next Thursday at 9am EST I’ll be boarding a plane from NYC to Los Angeles, CA for a big 7 day vacation in LA and San Diego with 5 friends including @futt and @jessicacohn. It’s definitely going to be an amazing time. I can’t wait to be in those cities as a person of legal drinking age, and to just have an awesome fun drunken high crazy relaxed time. I will definitely be gagging my head off over this one, stay tuned.
