Fast Food Anxiety

Fast Food Anxiety, Low Volume

Have you guys ever experienced this? You pull up to the drive thru and realize you have no idea what to order. For some reason, your body temperature rises when you realize you have to decide within seconds what you want. And then it gets worse when you realize nothing sounds good. Your eyes are racing over the menu and you feel the sweat starting to pulse from your pores. You wish that of all the times the worker was late on announcing "What can I make for you?", this would be the time. But no. Alas, she is on the intercom within seconds. "How Can I Help You Today?" And even if you say to the worker, "Hold on just a second" you still feel the rush of having to decide, knowing that there are so many others waiting for your decision...not only just the worker, but the cars behind you who at any time will honk at you if you take a split second too long. You hurry and rattle off something, usually what you ordered before because you can't think of anything else, but as you pull up to the first window to pay, you are reviewing your order in your head, thoroughly disappointed in what will be awaiting you at the next window. However, as you pull away after being handed your thoroughly dissatisfying meal, you feel your pulse slow down and all sense of reality return.

Fast Food Anxiety, HIGH Volume
Take the above formula, and add your kids...in the back...who ignore you for the fifth time when you're trying to get them to "HURRY AND ORDER!" "Huh?" they mutter, even though they KNOW you're in line for food, they've been begging for food for the last 30 minutes and they always get the same exact thing...yet for some reason, they take EXTRA long in deciding. In rapid succession, you scream at them "Hurry, Hurry! What do you want? The lady's waiting for you!" And then once they order and you spout it off to the annoyed worker, they quickly change their mind and order something totally different. So, tell me this, why do I feel the need to hurry for this minimum-wage worker who could care less WHAT or HOW LONG it takes me to order? But for some reason, I feel like it's like the hug that lasts a second too long...uncomfortable....I feel as though if you take a second too long, cars are gonna start ramming into you and the fry cooks are going to start spitting in your food. And why do brains in children turn off the minute you pull up to the order window? Probably cuz mom's just did too.

As I drive away, I say to the children, "Next time, if you can't decide BEFORE we get there, I'll just decide for you and you'll be stuck with what I choose"... knowing full well it'll never happen...