Creating a Monster, Part 1

I'm pretty sure I have been the way I am since I was a baby, but there have been things along the way that have shaped me, and enhanced my OCD personality.

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Back in seventh grade, I was walking from my classroom to the boys bathroom during a recess. While in the process of making my way to the bathroom, I walked through a circle of boys in my class talking to each other. Apparently one of my classmates was really excited about the story he was telling, because in the process of cutting through the circle, I caught an errant drop of spit in my mouth like a catcher spearing a fastball. Now this alone is disgusting, but what really sends shivers down my spine is that I could taste the Sour Cream and Onion Lays Potato Chips the person was eating during break. In any other situation, I would have gladly eaten a sour cream and onion chip, but having it birdied into my mouth, against my will, makes me nauseous to this day. Needless to say, I ran into the bathroom and spit and spit and spit, and rinsed out my mouth with water, and gargled and spit some more. Totally revolting.

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To make matters worse, in that moment seventh grade me flashed back to fifth grade me and the day I spent at this person's house. I was new at school and he invited me over for a Saturday afternoon of fun. Having no friends, I obviously accepted his invitation, only to regret it later. While at his house, we were jumping on a trampoline in his room and I jumped off and fell to the ground. At that moment my face was inches away from his skidmarked briefs, and I was mortified to no end. I immediately jumped up and pretended like it didn't happen. There would be no more trampoline jumping at this house.

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Anyway, when I caught his sour cream and onion spit in my mouth, I flashed back to Skidmark Saturday and was overcome with disgust. It is obvious that if wiping one's butt is not a priority, then brushing one's teeth is probably not high up there either. This is all I could think about as I rinsed my mouth out in the boy's bathroom.

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I don't think this situation changed me from a slob to an obsessive compulsive machine, but it definitely solidified the importance of cleanliness, and now I hold hygiene of all types is extremely high regard.