First Response

From the Millennium 2000 Tarot, the Ten of Swords:

For some reason the red sash draped across this man's legs reminded me of a matador de toros, or killer of bulls.  Like the matador, sometimes I think I hold all the weapons, and I will bait people with words to draw them out and prove their ignorance.  But a sharp tongue and intellect don't always work out in my favor, and I can end up gored, bleeding out on the ground.  Bullfighting disgusts me to the point of physical illness; perhaps that is the image I need to think of the next time I consider waging a war of words with someone.

From the Success Cards comes "Anxiety:"

    "My anxious morning mind is like a young dog out for a walk.  Every tree and every bush must be investigated to find out who's peed there and what the news is."
~ David Rynick

Anxiety can make me do one of two things - either I hide my head in the sand and pretend not to see it (particularly if it is a real problem) or I react stupidly and irrationally.  It's like some alien life form has take over my brain, and I lash out at life, frequently making things much worse than they were.  It's hard to just sit with those anxious feelings and realize they are there because reality is not meeting my expectations.  It's okay to have the feelings, I just don't have to let them dictate how I'll respond.