Free Republic

As I sit down to expound on this topic, I’m taking deep breaths. Are my lips pursed? Yes. Are my nostrils flared? You betcha. Is my butt clenched? Probably. Even the mere thought of people crowding the kitchen, asking me questions, standing right in front of that drawer at the precise moment I need to open it, and generally making noise while I need to focus and finish my Thanksgiving cooking assignment infuses me with ambient, imagined anxiety. While some easygoing, preternaturally social creatures may find it energizing to be surrounded by loved ones while they prepare food, some of...