The Sun was shining. I was on a beautiful beach in Las Palmas, staring at my phone. My kids had gone ahead to play in the surf. They'd run and shout and be exactly as adorable as kids on a beach can be. I was looking at my phone. I felt anxious about the news from the US. I didn't smile or enjoy the weather. I was refreshing Twitter on the damn phone.
After some minutes the ridiculousness of the situation forced me finally leave the phone behind and join my family playing in the sea. My brain started to do all the important things a relaxed brain should be doing. About half an hour later, when I was sitting in the sand and watching the kids play, I realized I had a new demon in my head.
I don't use the term demon here in any religious sense. Rather, they are insistent thoughts (or thought patterns) that keep looping in my mind, eat up all my energy, and tie my stomach into one large knot. I'll explain the naming later, but I'll have to detour to personal history first.