My friend Jay is a smart and perfectly capable guy. But send him into a post office and he’ll flip out. Once he walks through those Australia Post doors, in his words, “I just freeze!”
When he told me this story, I laughed raucously. I can’t imagine being freaked out in that situation and I certainly can’t imagine Jay not being able to cope doing simple postal transactions.
I guess everyone has their weak spot – things that make them freeze.
For Mel, it’s anything to do with car rego. Pink slip? Green slip? Too confusing! Too hard! Cue the water works. With Leigh, it’s making phone calls. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to call her bank or insurance provider and pretend to be her.
For me, the things that make me freeze are:
– Buses
Planes, trains, ferries, trams? No problem. Navigating somewhere by foot or in the car? Easy. Catching a bus overseas? Fine. Catching a bus in Sydney? Impossible.
I cannot figure out the Sydney Bus network. I don’t know how to use the website, I don’t know where to go to catch the buses, I don’t know how to buy tickets. I would rather walk for ages to avoid getting a bus or otherwise pay a fortune in cab fares. Anything to avoid to trying to work out the system. FREAKS. ME. OUT.
– Instructions
Manuals for appliances, pop ups on my computer, rules for board games. I read the instructions, I don’t comprehend, I freeze. Every time. Luckily E’s brain works differently and he sorts out all things instructions related. When we’re sitting next to each other in our Nerd Room and some sort of file update thing appears on my screen, he’ll register I’ve gone quiet, look over, see my panic stricken face and come and save me. Why can’t instructions manuals read like a recipe? If they did, maybe I’d cope.
– Snakes, spiders, moths, frogs, lizards, pigeons
A sighting of one of these creatures leads to a certain period of being frozen on the spot followed shortly after by a more lengthy period of screaming. Then there’s a quick dash to a safe place where being frozen on the spot resumes until the Husband captures and removes said creature.
What makes you freeze?
The random musings of Neen 