Eccentric vs. Obsessive-Compulsive

When I walk to the coffee shop near work, I hit the crosswalk button five times.  The rhythm and sound of it just kind of sound right.

When I make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I assemble it with peanut butter on the right slice, and seedless strawberry jam on the left (after a quick knife wipe on the clean slice.) It is part of a lunchtime routine, just the way that I make a sandwich.

When I kick off my shoes, I tend to kick the right off before kicking the left off.  I don’t even think about it, it just happens that way.

I occasionally notice these patterns in my life. When they are spotted I wonder, “Do I do things this way just because that’s how I do them, or because I’m actually unable to do them another way? Does Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder stealthily creep up on you, or does it hit you like an anvil from the sky?”

My fears are alleviated when over the next few days I reverse my sandwich making order — not even cleaning the knife between dips, I kick off that left shoe — even though it requires thought, and I push that damn crosswalk button once — and stop.