headaches and better things

You know, one thing I've learned in my 32 years noodling about this planet is that there are some people who can make me sick.

I know one person, fortunately in my past now, who even the thought of consistently gives me a splitting headache. When this person was a part of my life, I had the same splitting headaches regularly, but I explained it to myself as a work-related issue, because as a writer and editor I spend a lot of time sitting in one position. But I'm still doing that kind of work and it's clear now that I don't get headaches from it.

Even now, whenever I think about this person I get a headache, but because I'm happily going along and generally enjoying my life, it sometimes takes a bit of time to put two and two together.

As in:

Q: Why do I have this terrible headache all of a sudden, when I'm actually enjoying life quite a lot right now?

[confused pause during which I ponder why? why? why?]

A: Oh right, I made the mistake of thinking about that person for a bit.

Anyone else have someone like that?

Though I think overall it's been good for me to have encountered difficult and challenging personalities, I'm glad this particular one is out of the picture.

On a happier note, I just finished reading Love by Toni Morrison. She's so good. She's a genius! Although completely bowled over by her talent and her glorious brains, I will still dream (-- because what's the harm?) of writing as well as she does (-- though never like her, impossible) -- and I am mildly comforted by the fact that she wrote her first novel at 39.