Imaginative Dispostion, Creative Pleasures

Marriage has taught me that I'm not NORMAL

I always thought I was normal. In the norm. Middle of the row. Anyone not like me is probably the strange one.

Well, marriage is slowing changing that perception.

Maybe it's lingering effects from childhood when we saw ourselves as the center of the universe and things that we did were just what everyone did, what our family did is what all kids' families did...it was hard to comprehend another reality. Everyone is just like us.

Here's an example of a silly but recent realization for me. You know that freezing pain you get in the roof of your mouth or middle of your forehead when you suck on ice cold Slurpee from 7Eleven? That brain freeze that comes on after eating a big bite of ice cream?
... Well, I would have thought that everyone would know what I was talking about. Everyone gets an ice cream headache, right?! Wrong. Monte has never had one in his life! In fact he has a hard time fathoming the idea. Well, that's weird...he's in the minority...he the strange one...cause I'm normal.

Wrong again. I just recently read a study that was done on this very topic and apparently only 1/3 of Americans get brain freeze. WHAT? You mean not everyone experiences this excruciating pain when they eat something cold. I thought I was in the norm, the majority...but I'm not. I'm in the minority. So are you if you've ever experienced and ice cream headache. So think about that. Count yourself lucky...or unlucky, I guess.

Now here's another random bodily function that Monte has pointed out to me. When I yawn, my eyes tear up. At night if I'm laying in bed and start yawning the tears will run down my cheeks, sometimes getting in my ears...drives me crazy! Monte on the other hand does not cry when he yawns. He doesn't tear up when he sneezes. His eyes don't even tear up during a sappy Hallmark commercial. (Okay, so maybe that last one has nothing to do with this.) But really, I thought everyone teared up when they were tired and yawning. But I guess they don't.

We've been married a year and Monte just recently discovered that I tear up when I yawn. Poor guy. He thought I was crying cause I was upset. He thought that when I said "No, I'm not mad...or sad...or whatever"..."I'm just tired." that I was lying. He didn't know why I was so upset all the time.

I really am not sad. I am just tired. Tears really do run down my face when I yawn really hard. This was good for him to figure out finally, but it got me wondering. Is this like the brain freeze thing? Am I the strange one because my tear ducts get all squished when I yawn and leak onto my face? I don't know the answer to this one. No study has been done, as far as I can tell, about what percentage of Americans cry when they yawn. So, I thought I'd take an unofficial pole. Then we will see...at least among my friends if I'm in the minority or majority.
The pole is in the upper right. Please answer for yourself, and if you're up for it, find out if your spouse is a yawn crier or not too. Thanks. :)