Fear

Yesterday I learned something about Chaos. She is afraid of manhole covers. We had parked near one during the kidlets' piano lessons. She would not get out of the car nor would she get in the car on that side. She wanted nothing to do with the thing. She wouldn't go near it. We had to use the street-side door to get in and out for her walk.

Chaos' reaction got me thinking about fears. Not the ones most people share (losing a loved one, illness, death, failure, rejection, etc) but specific to an individual.

My youngest is afraid of zombies. This one makes perfect sense to me. Not too many people I know would invite a zombie home for dinner. Though I'm not quite sure if she's realized saying she had nightmare about zombies (or 2000 nightmares as she did this morning) is a free pass to sleep with mommy and daddy.

My middle child is afraid of dogs. This has made the process of getting a dog very interesting, but he's doing great with Chaos. He's all smiles when he's with her. And you should see the two of them run together. So sweet! I'll be curious to see how he reacts the next time we're around Angus or another dog.

My oldest is afraid of bugs. She doesn't like them in any shape or form, whether the crawl or fly. I understand this one, too. Bees and wasps terrify her. She was stung while rolling down a grassy hill and disturbing their hive that was in a hole. A traumatic experience for all of us! The little one was also stung and she still screams anytime she sees a bug that flies.

Angus, our surrogate dog, is afraid of electronic flashing toys. We have to put away the Millennium Falcon toy when he's here. The thing really scares him. Poor doggy.

As for me, if you've read this blog you know I have a fear of heights. Climbing has helped a little, but it's still there. I remember being on my first (and so far only) multi-pitch climb last summer. I made the mistake of looking down. Even though I was anchored in with no chance of falling, I was clutching onto my partner's arm. I was light-headed and oh-so dizzy. It wasn't a good feeling. But I don't know if I've ever mentioned my fear of ants. Yes, I'm afraid of ants. Deathly afraid. I'd rather face a room full of snakes or rats or pretty much anything else, including man eating beasts. Silly, I know, since I could just squash them with my feet, but fears aren't always rational.

When I was in a little girl, I had a turquoise ring I loved. I was playing in the front yard of a friend's house and somehow the ring ended up in a garbage can. I reached in to get it and had to dig around until I found the ring. When I pulled my hand out, my arm was black because it was covered ants. I dropped the ring and screamed as I tried to get them off. I never went back for the ring and to this day I can't stand the sight of ants. I still have nightmares about it. When I was older and living in Mountain View, California, my apartment got invaded by ants. I was so freaked out I had to ask a neighbor, who I had only seen in passing, if they could help me because I was shaking and crying and afraid to go back inside.

What are you afraid of?

And before I forget, I'm blogging at The Wedding Planners today about weddings in the movies! And yes, there are YouTube clips.

Have a great Friday.