Memorable Migraine 5: Celebrity Migraine Moment

This past October, I had a LOT going on. My business finally launched its brick-and-mortar shop, I was still working three jobs (including the bookstore—hey, this is still the case now!), and I had a lot on my plate. Sweet Jim brought me food and encouraged me to eat and sleep well, but I was working around the clock and almost running myself ragged. But by the end of the month I was ready for a nap and a day (or week!) off.

That end of the month date coincided with a really big night for me: Mr. David Sedaris himself was performing in Athens, Georgia, and after much back-and-forth, we had been chosen to be the on-side bookseller for the ENTIRE event. This was a huge deal for our young bookshop, and as a David Sedaris fan, I was tickled beyond belief.

We set up camp in the lobby of the Classic Center in downtown Athens late afternoon on the 31st. Despite being fully prepared for the event, the situation felt very high-pressure and I was pretty nervous about how the whole evening would go. I was not at all nervous about actually meeting David, though, and was happily surprised by my lack of starstruck-ness upon meeting him and chatting for a few minutes. The sales went well and we had a blast.

After each reading. David will sit and greet every. single. fan. until everyone in line has gotten a chance to talk with him. In between signing books for fans, he signed a lot of stock for the store. While he chatted with readers, I sat next to him and passed one book after another to him while he signed, barely needing to glance at the book.

As the time passed, I got more and more disoriented. I’d begun getting dizzy and realized that a migraine was on its way. This huge event—this culmination of one of the most challenging months of my career, ever—was coming to a close and I was dealing with the sudden release of a lot of stress. After running around like a chicken with its head cut off for weeks, I had finally accomplished this huge thing. And my migraine was coming in for attack.

By the time I got home a little before midnight, David was still going strong at the theatre, signing books and talking to readers. (Side note: every single interaction was completely different, at least for the 30 minutes or so I sat next to him. It was obvious he genuinely loves talking to his fans.)

I was too hyper to sleep, too migrainey to enjoy the buzz that had set in after this big success. Jim wanted to know all about the evening and wanted to congratulate and hear everything, but I couldn’t even be there with him because of my migraine.

Have you ever had a day like this, one where you’re so jacked up and/or excited that having the day go well (and the subsequent release of stress) triggered a migraine?