No Sleep for the Sympathetic

I've been a mother for 18+ years and I realized that I've developed a disorder that I previously thought was unique to my mother. I call it "sympathetic worrying." My mom worries about everything. Big, small and in-between. My sister and I know not to mention to my mom that we have a cold or my mom will call back in a day or two, already concerned that we've developed something chronic. I don't dare tell her that my kids are struggling with anything because she'll practically be in tears in no time.

I thought I was above this worrying thing.

Then last night, I made the mistake of watching CNN for COMPLETE HURRICANE COVERAGE. I heard about everything from devastating winds to catastrophic damage to (my favorite) toxic gumbo that would be created when Katrina hit land and toppled the many petrochemical plants around New Orleans. Wow.

I don't know anyone in New Orleans...or Mississippi or Alabama. My hairdresser is going to New Orleans on vacation, so I'm a bit worried about her trip. I live in Wisconsin, hundreds of miles away. Still, there's nothing to explain it.

It's approximately 6:30 am. I have been up since 4:00 am. I couldn't sleep. I was worried that the world was ending at the hands of Katrina. Rather than toss and turn and wake up my hubby, I got up and started my day, thinking I'd see when the devastation began. I'm not sure why, but I needed to wake up and watch more CNN.

This is bad. I need to get a life. Right now I'm really tired.