I have a new job. I am the new guy. No one knows my story. No one knows I have TS. The vocal tics have been bad at times but I am an expert at hiding them. And the nature of my work environment makes it easy for others not to notice.
I was thinking about what I would say if someone called me on the sounds I was making. The funny thing is that after all these years I don't have a bullshit answer. I mean I should have some answer I can throw at people. "Clearing my throat" or something. But I have nothing. I laughed out loud at the thought. I have no answers.
When people have said something in the past I either ignored them or shrugged my shoulders, saying, "I dunno." Once, in college, this guy who was sitting next to me in class asked me why I was making all those noises. I said, "what, you don't make noises?" Playing it off as if it were normal activity to be taking part in during English Lit 101. That stumped him. "Ask me questions, will ya?"
I am sure he just thought I was weird. Which is not incorrect. I am weird. Weird people do things like make frog noises in class and a face like they just bit into the world's largest lemon while in line at the bank. Yet, there is no frog. And I sure as shit ain't holding any lemon. Yeah, that's what weirdos do.
OK, so I am weird. What am I gonna say? "No, I am not weird. I have Tourette's Syndrome." That's fucking weird. People who go around telling strangers in supermarkets about their syndromes are weird.
So, to sum up. New job. New people. No one knows how weird I am, yet.
4 comments:
YES -- your answer SHOULD be, "It's just Tourette's, that's all." Just casually, like that. If they wanna talk about it more, tell them more. If not, no big deal. And your attitude about it being weird is exactly right on! Yes, of course it's weird! And so friggin' what? Pretty much everyone on the planet is weird one way or another -- but you're weird in a much more interesting and "valid" way than most anyone else is.
Hang in there! Good luck with the job, and settling in and all that.
People see my strange eye movements and say knowing things like 'just got contact lenses then?'. Or they hand me a tissue while i'm sniffing or snorting. When I reply i dont wear contacts, or say no thanks my nose is fine, They look eternally perplexes.
Let them think I'm wierd, im not ashamed of my tics, but there's no way i'd want to discuss them with strangers. Good luck with the job!
You are NOT wierd..if you are, then we ARE all wierd and we like wierdos!!
I just got transferred to a new store, after I had just divulged to my old store that I have tourette's. So now I have to start all over, build up the courage, and tell the people I work with that I don't just have a nervous twitch, but that I have tourettes syndrome. I'm not looking forward to it at all.
Post a Comment