Aly, your story is so gripping with texture and honesty. It takes a great deal of awareness of your whole self to take us there and experience it with you. I even loved the cliffhanger (which normally would make me batty)!
The google form is such a brilliant way to reach out to people in this context. Such a thoughtful way to support the OCD community. I appreciate all that you put in and am inspired!
Aly, this was a gorgeously written piece. I love all the sensory details that bring us into the scene with you: I am there with you on the rug, defeated; I'm in the air-conditioned testing room with the smell of #2 pencils, bare legs sticking to the chair; my heart races as you "perfectly" (as practiced) pace through the exam questions.
These were my favorite lines:
- "Made a parabola or approached infinity with my pencil marks."
- "quell the growing doubts that my answer only appeared in the options as a decoy, a common mistake."
- "Those guitar playing Christian surfer boys vanished, poof."
- "I followed the formula"
And I totally can't wait to find out what happens in Part 2!
P.S. Also loved your pieces in the OCD Art Gallery -- thank you for sharing!
P.P.S. Re: question #2. Hmm... I think I was surprised to learn that OCD doesn't necessarily mean you are meticulous about cleaning or particular about your environment being a certain way, or about germs... I definitely had that stereotype in my mind. (Sorry obviously I don't mean you are messy or a slob; I just mean that you've expanded my understanding of OCD. I'm also very intrigued by your previous mentions of religious scrupulosity and I'm interested in the connection to OCD.)
Aly, your story is so gripping with texture and honesty. It takes a great deal of awareness of your whole self to take us there and experience it with you. I even loved the cliffhanger (which normally would make me batty)!
The google form is such a brilliant way to reach out to people in this context. Such a thoughtful way to support the OCD community. I appreciate all that you put in and am inspired!
Aly, this was a gorgeously written piece. I love all the sensory details that bring us into the scene with you: I am there with you on the rug, defeated; I'm in the air-conditioned testing room with the smell of #2 pencils, bare legs sticking to the chair; my heart races as you "perfectly" (as practiced) pace through the exam questions.
These were my favorite lines:
- "Made a parabola or approached infinity with my pencil marks."
- "quell the growing doubts that my answer only appeared in the options as a decoy, a common mistake."
- "Those guitar playing Christian surfer boys vanished, poof."
- "I followed the formula"
And I totally can't wait to find out what happens in Part 2!
P.S. Also loved your pieces in the OCD Art Gallery -- thank you for sharing!
P.P.S. Re: question #2. Hmm... I think I was surprised to learn that OCD doesn't necessarily mean you are meticulous about cleaning or particular about your environment being a certain way, or about germs... I definitely had that stereotype in my mind. (Sorry obviously I don't mean you are messy or a slob; I just mean that you've expanded my understanding of OCD. I'm also very intrigued by your previous mentions of religious scrupulosity and I'm interested in the connection to OCD.)
Loved your pieces in the OCD Art Gallery!
What strategies have you found helpful for getting through the many worse before better moments of OCD treatment?