Today's challenge: The thing(s) you're most afraid of.
I think one of my most common phrases is "that's not safe"...
Sean is carefree. He's easy-going, happy-go-lucky, enjoys where the wind takes him. He wouldn't think twice about jumping into a pond or a lake to go swimming. It wouldn't bother him to see a motel on the side of the road and stay the night if he needed to. He leaves his windows open and doors unlocked. He trusts people. He's daring -- he tries new foods, drives cars fast, rides a motorcycle. He's a risk-seeker.
I, on the other hand, am always thinking that something is going to go "wrong". And that's what I'm most afraid of.
So what could happen?
Well, I could go swimming in a strange pond but I could also drown... or get attacked by some water creature. I could stop at an unfamiliar motel but I could also get kidnapped and murdered by a serial killer. I could try a new food but I could also get food poisoning. I could drive fast but I could also get a ticket or crash and die. Those would all be my definition of things going "wrong".
I can't tell you the number of times my response to something Sean says is "that's not safe". It's probably too often. And usually it's something where he responds by saying "you are the weirdest person I know". And maybe my fears are irrational, and lots of times, I agree that it's not normal -- like the time I was pretty sure we were going to get Botulism so I threw away every single thing in our fridge, even though lots of things were still sealed and brand new. Or all the times I ran inside screaming because a wasp got a little close to my chair (-- but I could be allergic). Or the time I thought I smelled fire so I unplugged every single thing in our house and put Apollo in the cat carrier, just in case.
Sure, it's weird. I don't let it ruin my life -- but am I cautious? Of course.
With all the bad and terrible things in the world, and all the freak stories and the people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time -- how can you NOT be a little afraid of things going "wrong"?
I think the fear was passed on to you from your mother ;/
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