Tag Archives: OCD

Searching for the Real Me

Posted on June 17, 2025 by mitchteemley

My Real Memoir Whatever I might become, after my meltdown there was no going back to who I’d been. My first year as a grad student had ended. I’d taken off like Lindberg and crashed like the Hindenburg. And now … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir, Religion/Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

My Tiny Harbinger of Hope

Posted on June 10, 2025 by mitchteemley

Photo by Vanburn Gonsalves My Real Memoir So this was who I really was. Neuroscientists say the prefrontal cortex, that “third eye” behind our frown lines, finishes developing in our mid-twenties. The results can be disastrous. Some people completely lose their … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 57 Comments

Moving On With My Broken Life

Posted on June 3, 2025 by mitchteemley

Back Bay, Newport Beach, California My Real Memoir Ten-year-old me had loved gliding down the street while standing on his bicycle seat. And twenty-year-old me had relished climbing over guard rails and sitting on the edges of tall buildings. I’d … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Finding Peace Amid the Storm

Posted on May 27, 2025 by mitchteemley

My Real Memoir I’d awakened, badly hungover, at three in the morning, and begun thinking, “What if I go insane?” In the past, the notion would have been fleeting. But not this time. The more I thought about it, the more … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 57 Comments

The Storm That Had No End

Posted on May 20, 2025 by mitchteemley

Trigger warning: This post deals with anxiety. Title notwithstanding, the storm did eventually pass. My Real Memoir Rehearsals began immediately after my previous show. I’d loved playing a Scottish painter bantering with his feisty ex-lover. I was not looking forward … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

And All This Time I Thought…

Posted on April 16, 2025 by mitchteemley

So, it turns out I’m a master of the ancient and venerated Chinese art of Feng Shui! And all this time I just thought I had OCD. ≠ Note: The above is meant strictly as self-mocking. My OCD is fairly … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

A Poem About the Day I Was Conceived

Posted on February 12, 2025 by mitchteemley

As I stare at my computer, contemplating what to write, noting several “Must-Read Celebrity Stories!” on my home page and tracking the labored progression of a particularly fat squirrel up the ornamental beech tree outside my window… …while obsessing over … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Poetry, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 42 Comments

Life Beyond the Tunnel

Posted on October 24, 2024 by mitchteemley

My Age of Anxiety A true story It would be nice if my age of anxiety had ended with my breakthrough in the desert. It hadn’t. But something had changed; I’d moved from trying to control my thoughts to learning … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

My Journey Into Darkness

Posted on October 10, 2024 by mitchteemley

My Age of Anxiety A true story It began with the childhood obsession, “Don’t step on a crack.” Sixteen years later, I fell into that crack. I’d awakened, badly hungover, at three in the morning, and begun thinking, “What if … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Don’t Step On a Crack!

Posted on October 3, 2024 by mitchteemley

My Age of Anxiety A true story There were signs early on, but I was too young to know what they meant. In primary school I heard the phrase, “Step on a crack and break your mother’s back,” and started … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments