Taking things into your own hands

In other words - don't be afraid to let people know what makes you uncomfortable! Last night my family went for Hibachi. I love Hibachi! I love to watch the food being prepared right in front of me, I think the chefs are skilled and funny, and I am getting good at catching flying food with my mouth! But I hate, hate, HATE the part where they make a big blaze of fire. I can't help it. When my family first suggested going for Hibachi, I said no. All I could think about was how I'd be on edge the whole time waiting for it to happen. But I knew they wanted to go, and I didn't want to not go because of this thing that happened more than 2 years ago. I guess there's a part of me that still wants things to be the normal they used to be. So, I said yes.

I started to get anxious and upset pretty much at that moment, and by the time we got to the restaurant I was in a pretty foul mood. Shame on me!!! But I was doing my best to keep it under wraps. Mom and I had discussed asking them not to make the fire, but we did that the last time we went and it happened anyway (we'd asked a server instead of the chef) and that was hard. We decided that it would be better to know it was going to happen than to expect it to not happen and then have that expectation be denied.

But then, the chef arrived, and I realized I could just tell him. He's the one in control of what happens on that stove, and I really didn't want that part of the show. So I did. And it was No Big Deal. And from that moment on I could relax, enjoy the show, and have a great dinner with my family. Sometimes I have to be reminded that wanting something because of my accident doesn't make it any less important or reasonable than anything else that someone wants. Just because I have to ask for it instead of it being typical doesn't mean I shouldn't ask for it.

Lesson learned: Tell people what you need. In my experience they're happy to comply, and even happier that you asked for it instead of sitting by and suffering in silence.