Hello to everyone from Blog Around the World. Thanks, Debbie, for spotlighting this little blog of mine!
Sometimes a sinister black widow crawls out of the shadows of the garage and into my sneaker as I’m slumbering away in my bed. It waits for dawn when my unsuspecting stockinged foot settles into its well- worn comfort before taking a satisfying crunch on my little toe.
OK, so that hasn’t happened…yet. But, I mean, you just never know…
So, I’ve got a few irrational fears, don’t we all? Perhaps my writing them down will shed light on the absurdity of them. Or maybe not. But maybe you can relate.
- Ladders I don’t have a problem with ladders as a whole. But of course my superstitious tendencies forbid me to walk under them. And may I just say that every time I frequent a Barnes & Noble in search of a particular book, what do I find standing smack dab in front of my pursuit? A ladder strategically placed so that I have to glance to my right, then to my left before nonchalantly reaching around or right through the ladder to reach my quest. Because I would hate to even imagine what fate would befall me if I were to place my entire self under that monstrosity. You just never know…
- Being Buried Alive It was, like, 1982 or something and I was watching Cheers. I don’t recall where I was or what else was going on that day. All I remember is that the episode included a scene where the postman (what was his name? The guy in all the Pixar movies) went under the bar’s wooden floor to hide from someone. He was lying on his back facing up and could see through the cracks to the people standing on the floor. At that moment I was seized with a complete and utterly claustrophobic fear of being buried alive. To this day the thought of being dog-piled by my kids causes quick short breaths and a craving for a paper bag. I can’t imagine a scenario where I’d actually be buried alive, but, you just never know…
- Cruise Ships Love Boat was my favorite show for many years. My sister and I enjoyed many late night weekends of Love Boat/Fantasy Island marathons. We couldn’t get enough of Julie’s feathered hair and Charo’s ukelele talent. We always wished we could join Doc for a night cap (whatever that was). But despite my Love Boat obsession, I hold a deep fear of cruise ships. It’s not that I wouldn’t love to go on a cruise someday, because I think it would be as lovely as the Pacific Princess. But, I just couldn’t take any kids with me. When I was younger I feared that if we ever went on a cruise as a family, my little sister would fall overboard into the menacing sea never to be seen again. And now that I’m an adult and much, much more rational I’m afraid my own kids would fall overboard into the menacing sea never to be seen again. I mean, if we ever did go on a cruise, I’d be so paranoid that the kids would never even have the chance to peer over the side to enjoy the beauty of that menacing ocean and they’d all be perfectly safe. But, I mean, you just never know…
- Lawn Mowers OK, some people cringe at the sound of fingernails on chalkboards. Some toenails curl at the thought of a paper cut. Well, I get wiggy when I think about starting a lawn mower. Not the kind the neighbors here in Idaho have with the key that you turn and spend all Saturday riding around your pasture on listening to cheesy country twangs. No, I’m talking about the kind with the string that you have to yank with all your might only to have it pause on the upstart threatening your shoulder to dislodge from its socket and your hand to slip out if its grip on the little plastic T handle. That thought just makes me shudder. Again, quite irrational. My shoulder has never dislodged… yet. But, you just never know…
- And last but not least…Enclosed water slides. It was about 1979 during an annual summer trip to Ogden to visit the relatives. My dad, aunt, sister, cousins, and I went to Cherry Hills water slides. Back in the day water slides were more or less simple, smooth, cement half pipes that went down a little hill with a couple of turns to a small pool. But this particular year Cherry Hills had a new slide. This one was enclosed. I’d never been on an enclosed water slide before. It looked awesome! We were excited to try it out so we all piled in line and waited our turn. My turn came and I strategically set my slick foam raft in place, lowered myself down and pushed off into the dark. It was going great at the beginning. There were a few twists and turns and the water was fairly warm. I thought this was pretty cool. Until a few more turns into it and my raft slowed down considerably. I discovered the stream of water had turned into a trickle. Not enough to propel one forward. I came to a halt halfway down. Being in the dark, and inside a tube, I didn’t know what to do. I sat for a few moments contemplating my options. I tried to scoot myself along with very little success. Just as I thought I might have to crawl down, I heard a sound. It got louder as the seconds ticked by. It sounded a lot like a train coming my way. Before I knew it I was hit by a body of water followed by a body of flesh. That momentum pushed us the rest of the way down the tunnel and we tumbled out the end in a scrambled ball of water, limbs, foam, Lycra, and a little blood (if I remember correctly). I believe that was the last enclosed water slide I ever “enjoyed”. I’m sure water slide technology has improved in the last 30 years and that they’ve refined the ratio of water to the velocity of moving bodies and that scenario would never happen in this day and age. But, I mean, you just never know…
Whew! I feel much better. OK, your turn. What are your irrational fears?
I think you covered most of them. I do hate to drive on the lower level of a multi level bridge. Give me the top tier any time. I think of the California earthquake every time I cross one.
*waving to you from Iowa!*
Mmmm. wooden bridges.
And I live *this close* to Madison County. yeah, those bridges.
This was so funny! I really had to laugh. I hate to increase your fears, but one summer I put my foot – barefoot, no less – down into my irrigation boot, and stepped on a little frog! It was horrible. I cringe even now. I always shake my shoes now, because even before that I had a fear of doing that, and now it’s double. Ha ha – it makes me embarrassed just to reveal that I do this!
I also have an unnatural fear of being poked in the backside (all the way down) with anything sharp. Uhggg. My face is pulled back in a grimace even now. Ask my husband how paranoid I am of this.
Why am I commenting like this? Now Ralf is going to SEEK ME OUT, just to do this to me, I just know it. Ralf – beware – I am not the nice person I appear to be after someone does this to me.
Other than that, I’m good! 🙂
I have one… I’m afraid of bugs crawling on me at night when I sleep… what if one crawls on me and crawls into my ear or something? Even worse… what if it lays eggs in there or gets stuck? EWWWW… I can’t camp out under the stars because of this, not that it has ever happened and I don’t have a buggy house or anything, it’s just the thought. After hurricane Katrina lots of ‘things’ were stirred up. We had just got our power back and were finally going to try to sleep (we were missing parts of our roof, but hey… we had a home, right?) I looked up and saw a palmetto bug (aka HUGE roach) on my ceiling above the bed. I slept on the couch in the living room with all of the lights on for a week. No kidding. hahahaha!! Still gives me the creeps to think I could have gone to sleep and had it crawl on me…. *shudder*
I’m afraid of moths and merging onto freeways—but that’s all completely normal—YOU on the other hand are a freak :)! I can only say that because I “know” you!
You had me laughing and feeling really bad for you all at the same time. Especially that water slide story—scary!
I forgot to add that I “know” you , and know that you are for sure not a freak!
June bugs: Because if they land on me for one second they are sure to bite off a chunk of my flesh.
Hot/cold irons: Because if they are hot you could trip over the cord and the iron will come bouncing back at you and land on any exposed skin. Cold irons are also a threat because you cannot tell if an iron is truly cold unless you get near it, and that would mean getting near the cord, which you could possibly trip over which could possibly result in sending a possibly hot iron flying through the air toward your exposed skin.
Regarding your fears:
1)Oh, that’s so silly 2)That’s scary, it could happen! 3)Super scary, I’ll probably have a nightmare about that 4)I don’t think that’s humanly possible 5)I’m sorry, that’s just plain funny. 🙂
I would have to say snakes and mice are my fears! That and my son eating peanut products – he is deathly allergic. Thanks for letting us all stop by on your BATW day!!!
Okay…we are three for three on the fabulous BATW posts today. That was great! I fear those stinkin squirrels finding their way back into my attic after we paid alot of money to barricade them from getting in! I fear they will not only get back but then infiltrate the house…all while laughing in my face that they have outsmarted us after we thought we had outsmarted them! ARGGGGH.
I love your description of the ladder thing at the bookstore…I was totally picturing it and it made lol.
Thanks so much for hostessing us today. You did a fabulous job!
I have the big body of water fear. I can swim, and all but one of my girls can too, but I just imagine falling into a lake or ocean with no edge in sight. Open boardwalks where people fish and jump off of frighten me. I prefer walking slowly into an ocean or swimming in a pool (where I can see the bottom).
I can totally understand why you never want to go in an enclosed water slide. That experience would have ruined it for me too.
I’ll have to think of the many crazy fears that I have.
Sending some love from Louisiana. Loved your post and pictures. Much Love
Congrats on your BATW day!
My major irrational fear is people in costumes/masks. If they’re human, I want to see their humanness. As a kid this terrified me, but I can pretend that I’m an adult now and just avoid such people/situations (like Halloween parties).
Wow that’s alot of fears for one person. But hey it’s all good. I’m pretty much scared of anything that carwals and that has more legs, less legs or more eyes than I.
You know… I have that same spider (or scorpion or something equally as terrifying) in my shoe fear. I think that stems from summers at camp having to shake the scorpions out of our shoes each morning… Hmmm…
those are some crazy fears but I guess you are right, you just never know.
Left-hand turns are yucky for me. Irrational to my husband, but I’ll go out of my way for the right hand turn any day 🙂
Hi from Hungary… I am afraid of almost all the situations I seem to be in here in Hungary and feeling so inadequate in the language.
Right now I am afraid our flat will not sell and we will be here forever.
I am having a hard time thinking… sorry. But I do love the time line of you in those picutures… I had the same hair and happy birthday! (belated)
I forgot to put you in Google Reader and missed some posts!
Enclosed water slides…(((shiver)))
Nice to see you and Jennifer on BATW. I missed the boat with that one because (again) I forgot to put her in Reader and wasn’t keeping up on posts. Ah well, as the world turns….Idaho will come up again someday….
Stopping in to see another fellow Idahoan from BATW. I’ll just say that the spider story had me cringing. I HATE spiders. We had black widows really bad in our garage when we lived in Boise. Now we have the nasty hobo spider here in I.F. I think I’d rather have the black widow. At least they stay hidden in the corner and don’t look like a mini tarantula about to attack. Ugghhh..I really hate spiders.
First off, Happy Belated Birthday! Debbie over at BATW is spreading the word. And, as far as fears, I have several, but rodents really creep me out! I’m doing a Recipe Week over at my place, so please drop by if you get the chance! Isn’t BATW The Best?
Interesting post. I can understand many of your fears. I would have to say that mine is the general fear of not being able to breath. I hated as a child when we would do monkey piles, everyone pile on top of each other. If I was at the bottom and being smooshed, I was terrified of not being able to breath. Your waterslide experience is not something I would handle well.
I hate, hate, hate mice and bugs… yuck! But I am also afraid of water/drowing. I can swim to save my life but I think about stuff wrapping around my legs and sucking me under… swimming in seaweed… no can do!
I get some of those fears. My big one is being smashed into while driving. I just know that’s how I’m going to die. I hate going through intersections. I really do.
And we’ve yet to go on a cruise with the wee ones because I’m paranoid of Little Miss climbing the wall and falling overboard. Maybe when she’s 10. Mister Man, no worries about him. He’d do what he’s told.
Gasp! I never thought about being buried alive! I’ll have to add that to fabric tearing & snakes!! Loved the post…
Thanks for sharing – you had me going with the spider bit. Sorry to hear about the experience in the water slide. I remember those types of slides. Congrats on your BATW day!
Lakes. They terrify me. I can’t stand the idea of getting in one. A few years ago I was on a jetski with my husband, and I got hot so I jumped of the back to cool off, and had a near panic attack and had to get back on. You can’t see anything, it’s terrifying!
mice!! Nothing is more “icky” than mice!
Nice stopping by here! Interesting post! BATW rocks!
I think your list just about covers it! I guess most of my new worries surround my children. That list seems to just keep growing!
Yup, I’m with you on number 5. My fear started after a Baywatch episode where a slide broke in half when someone was going down it. Not so far fetched.
You may laugh at yourself over the spider fear, but it’s no laughing matter. I always check my shoes religiously before putting them on for that very reason. Last year, the ONE time I didn’t, I stuck my foot in and squished a biggish spider with my bare toes. You should have seen my running and screaming through the house. I actually cried. Now I can laugh (while I shudder to think about it), but it was so disgusting at the time.
Here’s another one to add to your list. Steve left an open water bottle in his office. When he picked it up the next day and started drinking it, he felt a sharp sting on his tongue. He yanked the water bottle away from his mouth and saw a spider in the bottle that had bit him. He’s still recovering mentally.
Greetings from Wisconsin. Congratulations on your BATW feature. I hope that you are enjoying your day in the sun.
I am afraid of tornados. I know that this is a pretty rational fear however, I have no reason to be as afraid as I am. I have never been in a tornado and I have never been near a tornado. But, I am scared to death of them. I guess the Wizard of Oz really did me in:-)
Happy BATW, Wendy. Please go on a cruise ship, it is the best kind of vacation. The railings are high, so you really can’t fall overboard. I have an irrational fear about escalators. I have to wait a second or two before getting on. I’m always afraid, my foot or my skirt will get stuck.
Visiting you from L.A. I have an irrational phobia of roaches. I know they don’t bite/can’t hurt me but I can’t even stand to see a picture of them or walk past a dead one. (I had some traumatic experiences with them growing up)
Great post! I laughed so hard. Here is an idea for the cruise ship fear…leave the kids at home! Take a romantic vacation! Although, will that bring on other fears? 🙂
Congratulations on your feature and happy belated birthday!
My two biggest fears are anything having to do with money and… um…
BUGS!
Actual goosebumps as your page loaded. Whew. Thanks for the adrenaline rush!
Also, I am terrified of swimming in anything non-chlorinated. I once saw something on the Discovery Channel about these fish that are attracted by urine and will SWIM UP INSIDE YOU.
That they only live in toasty warm Amazonian waters and I only swim in the Atlantic Ocean between icebergs even in August means nothing.
Irrational fear??? Hmmmm…. I think most of mine are completely rational…
HA HA HA!!!
Thanks for the fun blog!!!!
Hey there! Ms. Oklahoma stoppin in! Yikes! That black widow is pretty scarey! We’ve seen a couple (outside) here in OK too. I NEVER walk around barefooted! Funny post! I was a Love Boat lover too 🙂 Nice to meet ya!
This was great .. I mean, you wrote it very well. Not so great in that I share many of the same fears, and had shiveries running up and down my spine thinking about it. :o) But I enjoyed reading it anyway!
I had a similar slide experience, except mine wasn’t a water slide and I didn’t have anyone to push me down. I had to scoot, and came out crying. I’m terrified of drowning, so making it a water slide just puts me over the edge! Eugh!!
HOLY COW! How did you get so many hits?
My fear is of not knowing someone’s name and so never calling him/her by it.
Girl, those shows did you in! I’d turn off that tv, which I learned today was invented in Idaho.
Wow — you have alot of comments! I have many fears — but I do share the one about the waterslide after having experienced that with you! Uggh, we were at Raging Waters this summer and I went down one slide and was terrified. (LOL) Miss you! Have a wonderful day Wenderful!!!
Enjoy your day in the sun. I too am here from BATW. I too fear spiders in my shoe or anything else that shouldn’t be there for that matter. My hubby thinks I’m nuts. He won’t think so when he puts his shoe on w/o shaking it out first and gets a big nibble now will he?.
Hello, stopping by via BATW!
You’ve given me a great idea for a blog topic! 🙂 I’ve got a more-than-usual fear of alligators and crocs. I can’t even look at a pic of on the web or on TV without getting the heebie-jeebies. My kids like to taunt me while shopping with those rubbery alligators you can find in the toy section. Grrrr!!!
Doctors. I know that if I go he will tell me that I have a horrible disease that will kill me quickly.
Here from BATW. Great post! I’ll be back 🙂
Bridges. I absolutely hate driving over bridges.
Hi from Louisiana! I have irrational fears of geckos! Yuck!
Murky water. I can not get in a lake or ocean that you can’t see the bottom. Jaws could be in there! I agree about pretty much all of yours, especially being buried alive. Totally gives me the heeby jeebies.
What a great idea for blogging! I have a ton of creepy fears and superstitions as well! I dispise spiders as well. I make my hubby kill them all! All things stop when I see a spider sometimes! Too bad he isn’t with me at work from time to time. I could use a spider killer there from time to time! 🙂
Thanks for letting us BATWer’s join you for a day!
Stopping by from Wisconsin via BATW! Congrats on being featured today. Happy belated birthday!
I’m visiting you from BATW and a small town in Georgia. I really enjoyed your blog. I have some of those similiar fears. One of my fears is driving in a tunnel that goes under water, there is one on I-10 I think in Alabama, and also one in Michigan to go from there to Canada. It makes me think that it is going to collapse and I will drown, not the way I want to meet my Maker. Have a good day.
Hugs, Amy 😉
Happy Belated birthday to a fellow Virgo!! Thanks for hosting today for us travellers from BATW!!
I hope voicing your phobias does help you out 🙂
Another visitor from BATW. Thanks for a look at your great blog.
While I harbour run-of-the-mill fears for things such as snakes and spiders, I can also muster up the shakes if I’m enclosed in a small place. Darn that claustrophobia! Other than that, my other fears involve my daughters, and I’m not about to bring down a blog with talk of that.
Thanks again for sharing!
Hello from ND, via BATW.
I to have a fear of ladders, but not going under them just to climb them.
Oh look, a fear fest! I am afraid of people (most especially my kids) making careless and risky moves like darting out in front of cars on their bikes. (And I kid you not, just as I typed that, I watched that very thing happen on tv and the guy got hit–I rest my case.) The weird thing about when I get scared is that my response is angry–I can do just about as much damage to the person who MIGHT have gotten hurt as would have been done if they HAD gotten hurt if I’m not careful! Sad but true.
LOL!! I have to raise my hand as another left hand turn-a-phobic. I hear UPS doesn’t plan left turns into their delivery routes. I guess if I ever become a driver I could always apply there!
Great looking blog, I enjoyed it!
Howdy from an ex-Idahoan!
My fear is to step on a snake and get bitten.
Or worse, fall in a snake pit and yuck, yuck, yuck, I don’t even want to describe it!
you never know…
I’m afraid of … snakes (in NZ where I’m originally from, there are no snakes, not even in the zoos) … black widow spiders (I was just about to put my foot in my slipper, saw a movement and there was one) …. chainsaws ( I saw that shower scene in ‘Scarface’ and have banned them from my presence ever since) …. having my head cut off or throat slit (don’t know where that one came from, maybe I was Anne Boleyn in a previous existance?)
Loved this post! I’m afraid of heights. Don’t like open stairways. Don’t like being on the 3rd floor in the mall and peering over the edge. Balconies, just don’t like those either. Happy Belated Birthday!
Great post! I’m here a day late from BATW.
I don’t know that any of my fears are irrational. Like my fear of spiders. Pretty rational, in my opinion. I stepped on a wolf spider the other night in my bare feet. It bit me! It hurt, but the freaked-out feeling lasted much longer than the pain! Still creeps me out!
BTW, happy belated birthday!
I am with you on the buried alive thing but I would have to add clowns.
I, too, have an irrational fear of poisonous spiders, but mine is the brown recluse, not the black widow. We have brown recluses in our attic (everyone does in the South) and I just KNOW one is lurking under my covers, waiting for me to fall asleep before biting my toe. Or leg, or…well, you get the picture.
I have an irrational fear of sharing my irrational fears. Somehow I think that makes them come true.
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