In an early instance of type-casting, I played Henny Penny in a kindergarten production of Chicken Little. Henny was the one who created all the hysteria about the world coming to an end after a walnut fell on her head, causing her to believe that the sky was falling. In this production it was a supporting role since the stars were Chicken Little and Foxy Loxey, but still my character was the most dramatic and had the best lines. Actually, I think it was just one line repeated several times: "The sky is falling!" Naturally rehearsals were a snap for me, with plenty of down time backstage to play with my Tiny Tears doll. (She actually cried, as long as you poured water into a hole in the back of her head.)Since then I've remained on the lookout for trouble. My husband calls me needlessly pessimistic, but I've never run out of gas (he has), missed a flight because I left for the airport too late without factoring in traffic or maybe a car accident (he has), had a car engine seize and die while driving it because I ignored the oil warning light (he has) or gotten sick on vacation because I didn't notice the early symptoms and take the necessary steps beforehand to ward it off (he has). Not to brag or trash my husband, but I'm just saying....
Vigilant though I may be, stuff happens. I had a hip that gave out and needed replacing (even though the other one is fine), cataracts that would eventually blot out the world if I ignored them (despite the fact that they weren't bothering me yet), and finally a heart attack I never saw coming. The sky may not be falling, but still shit comes down. If you ask me, pessimism is a positive attribute.
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