Home from Vacation

I'm back from my vacation to Washington DC, and I had a good time! My husband and I walked thousands of steps, and saw 14 museums. I was very grateful that I started OCD treatment before going to DC, because the sheer quantity of things to see would've been overwhelming, since part of my compulsions was making sure I didn't miss anything. My husband has trouble sitting still, and likes to roam around museums. A few years ago we realized that we have the best time if he just starts roaming, and leaves me to read all the interpretative signage, and now it's even more improved because I have much more ability to move on even if I haven't finished every single word, and looked at every single item on display!

My desparate OCD compulsion to not miss anything would've been paralyzing in DC. I still had some difficulty at times. At the Museum of the American Indian, the cafeteria was full of interesting dishes I'd never had, and suddenly a several tour groups showed up and the lines got very long. I had a "nested basket" response of "Oh no, you took too long to decide and now there are crowds. How could you do that? What is wrong with you? Oh, I shouldn't be so critical of myself. Why can't I stop doing that?" but I focused on choosing some dishes easiest to get to, in spite of a barrage of "You need to choose the right one, how do you know it's the right one?" and did enjoy most of what I got. The cold radish and melon soup was delicious, and worth the risk. The maple pinto beans were not as exciting, but I am so much better prepared to just say, "Oh, well," and let the disappointment pass.

The photo above is of Christian Burchard's Basket Series from the Renwick Museum of Contemporary Craft. I asked my husband to take a photo of it, because it is such a powerful metaphor for my OCD thinking.

Related Post

Nesting Dolls: OCD All the Way Down