I was walking downtown the other night and noticed the way that I reacted to several minor occurrences. None of these things were life-threatening, but they could have be deemed threatening in some way.

The thing is, I noticed each of them in the sense that I was aware, but I didn’t react. I didn’t run or move in any physical manner that I might have years ago, or in the way most people unfamiliar with city living might.

It got me thinking about how desensitized I am to certain things, and how that might have wider-ranging consequences.

Would this stay with me outside the city? Could I encounter some threat in nature and avoid reacting in a natural way — in a way that is there to protect me?

In the same way that people who live outside the city tend to overreact to things downtown, would I under-react to things out in the country that I should react to?

The topic of desensitization has been on my mind a lot lately. Maybe I’m just overthinking it.