Constance and the Echo Pain
We were in the middle of a lovely sushi-in dinner when Nola, who had been firmly placed in the center of her playmat situated on the center of the rug, wiggled her way back and, ultimately, flung her whole body in reverse. Her head smacked the hardwood floors with an enormous thud.
Tears followed, albeit very briefly. Nola has a concrete noggin. I can verify, as can my braces.
It’s not unusual for kids to hurt themselves, of course, but what was unusual was that moments after the red spot appeared on the back of Nola’s head, Constance got a terrible headache in the exact same spot.
“You know I don’t believe in this kind of stuff,” she said. “But my head really hurts all of a sudden. It feels like a brain cramp in the back.” It only lasted about 5 minutes before it disappeared, but her pain was very real and somewhat inexplicable.
“I don’t know what that was about,” she said. “But that’s some weird shit.”
“Well, you know how they say twins can experience each others pain,” I said. “Maybe since her twin is now a part of you, you know, you felt her pain.”
File it under unlikely and you never know, but, well, you never know. The body and the mind are every bit as powerful of a tandem as peanut butter and chocolate and Brangelina combined.
Yeah, even more powerful than a Reese’s Peanut Butter & Brangelina Cup. It’s hard to fathom.
Filed under: Firsts, Husband & Wife, Nola Eleanor
I certainly don’t want to say I don’t believe, because I obviously don’t have the answers (to most things) so I file it under the category of “Huh”. What made it even more odd is that I am in no way prone to headaches and have literally gone years at a time without having them — and it was also the exact kind of ache you get when you knock your head into something.
Odder still is the chain of events: Nola cried for about 15 seconds, I got the smacking-head pain, she immediately stopped crying and smiled at me. This is what paranomal movies are made of.
I’d be more apt to contribute echo pain to the mommy-baby bond than the twin thing. I have an identical twin sister, and while we do finish each others sentences, we used to get really annoyed when somebody would poke one and ask the other “Did you feel that?” ;o)
Growing up, when I would go to auditions, my mom would be able to tell me the exact moment I auditioned because while she was 20 miles away at work, she would be overcome by extreme nervousness. Once, I stapled my finger (OUCH!) and she called to ask if I was okay-her finger was hot and throbbing at work. Weird stuff…