I got back late yesterday evening from spending a few days with my parents who both suffer significantly with degenerative conditions. I always feel reflective and sad after seeing them, as well as concerned for their future, so it was no surprise that I woke up at 4 o’clock this morning with my brain in overdrive. I allowed myself a little time to mull things over before putting on a hypnosis track and snuggling down to catch a few more zzz’s.
A few hours later I went out to the garage to get the washing out of the tumble dryer, and as I opened the door, flames appeared followed by billowing smoke. The tumble dryer was on a shelf next to lots of flammable car maintenance products, and only a few feet from Steve’s beloved two tone eighties 7 series BMW. Water is obviously not good on an electrical fire, so there was only one thing for it…I picked it up and carried it above all the (many) obstacles in our garage and out into the garden. This involved a level of upper body strength that was decidedly lacking last week when my son was giving me a lesson in pull ups (not a hope) and chin ups (only with a leg up).
This is what happens when our brain perceives a potentially dangerous situation, it floods us with adrenaline and cortisol so that we are alert and have the mental clarity and strength to escape it. Too bad that at 4 am my brain didn’t understand that I was just worried about my parents and not about to be eaten by a sabre-toothed tiger.