This happened today. The gas company knocked on my door, said they had detected a leak in our gas line, and needed to replace it.

I instantly spun into a vortex of worries. Why was it leaking? Why didn’t I suspect anything was wrong? (Our neighbors called the gas company because they could smell gas in their house.) Was there a gas leak in my basement? How long would I have to keep my furnace turned off? What if the house got too cold and the pipes burst?

My vortex of worries was quite irrational. My other neighbor was very sensible and calmed me down. She told me on Facebook: “Don’t stress about it, put on layers & wrap in a blanket. You’ll be warm. It COULD be worse!!!” It was best thing she could have told me.

That damn worry vortex sucks me in every time.

Earlier this January, we were in the middle of a polar vortex and the high temperature was -15°F. I was worried. What if the pipes burst? (Seems to be a constant worry, doesn’t it?) What if the furnace stops working? What if the car won’t start?

As soon as we survived the first polar vortex, another worry quickly popped up. We had a warming trend. Icicles dripped off of our roof, and the news warned me of yet another danger. Ice dams. Ice dams can push water into the house, ruining ceilings and walls and causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. How could I not worry about that?

Well, we didn’t get any water in the house, and by the time the next polar vortex came along, I wasn’t worried. We had survived the first time, after all.

But then I came down with a cold and had terrible congestion in my chest.

The first night I was sick, I couldn’t sleep and had to go sit on the couch for a while. As I struggled to breathe at 3am, I worried about pneumonia. What if I had it? What if I was admitted to the hospital? Who would feed the children, for God’s sake!

I didn’t have pneumonia.

My family used to call me a worrywart when I was growing up. I’ve tried to grow out of it, but the worry vortex still manages to suck me in.

About that gas leak? The gas company had it fixed in no time. My house never got colder than 68°. Not one water pipe froze.

What vortex have you been sucked into lately? Go visit Gretchen and our other fine vortex spinners this week! See the linky below, and if you wrote a vortex post of your own, link it up!