Years ago, when I was in the telecom industry, we had a team-building afternoon.

First off, we had a fella come in and talk to us about stress. He was talking about mice. He was asking us which mouse would be under more stress; the mouse that had advanced notice that it would be shocked (yeah I know, nice hey?), or the mouse that had no warning whatsoever.

My answer?

"Who cares, they're mice."

Fast forward eleven years.

I'm on my patio, having a glass of wine. Flip flops on. Sitting in a plastic patio chair.

Each time I get up to go in the house, I grab the doorknob, and get shocked. A little shock hits me. It's annoying as hell. And it hurts.

So now, every time I get up to go indoors, I'm STRESSED to the max, knowing that I'm going to get shocked.

Just now, I stood there for a minute and a half, afraid to touch the doorknob. Looking like a complete spaz. Afraid to enter my own house. Full well knowing that the pain will only last a millisecond. Yet completely frozen, afraid to touch the doorknob.

I shall begin my own experiment.

First thing? No flip flops.

I shall report back.

Urs.