[AmDaws]

So my best friend and I have been talking every night since I left for my two-week vacation. I'm six hours ahead of her, and since I can't sleep a full night here due to the different time zones, we usually talk around midnight her time, 5am my time.

It's only fifteen minutes after that typical meeting time and she hasn't been online at all since early afternoon or so. Her boyfriend is an inconsiderate moron who insists she tags along with him if he wants to do something, even though she has pretty severe panic attacks now and then when she's away from home or in a new situation. He once dragged her along into a car with more people than there were seat belts, the majority of whom were completely drunk, because he didn't want his new neighbours to think he is some kind of jerk or recluse. (Go figure.)

So here I am, waiting only fifteen minutes for her, already freaking out thinking she's dead in a ditch somewhere and his idiocy is to blame.



I can't call or text either because of roaming fees. I have to wait. I can't stand waiting when I'm anxious like this. I can't sleep. I keep running these horrible thoughts through my mind. Sometimes I go to very obnoxious, desperate measures just to make sure everything is okay.

It always turns out fine. I can tell myself that all I want. I can just tell myself she didn't make it online tonight, her laptop's dead, she's out with her dumbass boyfriend and will make it home safe. But it's not going to stop me from worrying.

Daammn.

God forbid I ever have children. I'll be ... well, like my parents >.<

[Perna]

Worrying is about the future, which we cannot know. It's hard to sit with the unknown of the present, much easier to spin something "out there" that's not likely to happen. Such relief when we learn all those things we imagined didn't happen. Why not think arbitrarily good things instead?

Your friend fell asleep and is sleeping peacefully and well, getting the best sleep she's had in a long time and won't wake for 8 hours when she'll be refreshed and feeling great.

The inconsiderate moron met someone today that turned his life around completely and he's realized what an inconsiderate moron he's been in the past and wants to change things; she and he are having a deep conversation about his conversion and what they each want from life and how they can work on their plans together.

Inconsiderate moron has a few friends who aren't as bad as he is and they're doing an intervention and she's helping. All of them will learn good things.

Her phone broke or she's at a really good party and has "forgotten" to pay attention to the time/can't quite get away where it's quiet to tell you about it.