The Bright Side of Childhood Traumas

How Mitch sees it.

If the common expression, "It is what it is" resonates with everyone, why isn't, "You are what you are" also acceptable?  For example, let's say you were abducted at an early age, found safe after 36 hours, then grew up to never trust anyone. As an adult you see the potential danger in every situation. Is that any more your fault, or within your power to change, than being six feet tall or having brown eyes? I say no. (I've tried, believe me.)

This morning, pondering the possibility of taking a 10-day cruise through the islands of Bali aboard a luxury ship full of affluent vacationers, my husband got all excited that I would even consider such a thing. Looking at photos on the ship's website showing happy people holding drinks and smiling broadly as the sun shined down on their glorious foreign adventure, my husband "oohed" and "aahed" over the beautiful staterooms, fully outfitted gym and well-appointed restaurants serving appetizing fare prepared by a highly-acclaimed chef.

"Yeah, yeah, it looks great," I said, going on to mention that it looked exactly like the kind of a ship that desperate pirates would attack, climbing on board to rape all the women and plunder everything else. Mitch had an instant reaction: "I feel sorry for you. Whatever it is, you instantly think of the thing that can wrong." Driving his point home, he added, "You're very sick in the head!"

What I see.

How sweet. My husband says I'm sick in the head because I prefer not to be held hostage, raped and plundered -- I know, people don't get plundered but the words often go together -- by pirates, the kind that were in the 2013, based-on-a-true-story film Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks, which I personally think was his finest film ever in terms of pure acting, but anyway, I digress. Who knows -- my traumatic childhood abduction may have saved my life!

For example, I have never gone hiking with a girlfriend in Marrakesh and camped overnight, just the two of us in a flimsy little tent, like those two Norwegian women did last week who were beheaded by members of ISIS. If those women had been a little less adventurous and a bit more focused on the worst-case scenario they'd be alive today enjoying a more boring life, but still, a life. Sadly, they had apparently never suffered any childhood traumas that might have saved them.