Childhood trauma is a real thing, and luckily for me, I don't think I have any serious ones. But it's crazy how certain things that happen to us as kids could keep on tormenting us even as adults. And yes, I know there are people who have gone through some real stuff as kids, stuff that would also traumatize an adult.
But there are also some silly ones, things we only believed simply because we were kids, but somehow haven't been able to still shake off that fear even now as an adult. As for me, it is the fear of using toothpicks in a restaurant.
I had gone out this morning to eat, and usually I don't like to eat outside. I prefer to buy the food, take it home, and then eat. But ever since I came back from the camp, I've been a lot more comfortable eating out because I did it a lot over there.
Well, this morning I had gone out to eat, and right after I was done, I had taken a toothpick, but just as I was about to place it in my mouth, I remembered the story a friend of mine told me many years ago back in high school.
He had told me a story of this woman who would go around picking up used toothpicks and kind of like wash them and give them to customers to use again. Ever since he told me that story, I've always made it a priority to break my toothpicks whenever I finish making use of them, just so that no one else can try to reuse them.
Well, today, that story came back to my mind, and immediately I thought of it; my grip on the toothpick had tightened, and I had unintentionally broken it in half before throwing it away. But as I walked back home, feeling discomfort in my teeth because I really needed to pick my teeth, I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that a story told to a kid by another kid many years ago still has the power to affect what I do as an adult today.
It just goes to show you how much of a strong hold these things can have on us.
