Fear

Remember when dying use to be at the top of the list of one's greatest fears? That was immediately followed by losing a loved-one, going bankrupt, or missing a shoe sale. Well, maybe not the shoe sale, but there was once a time when fears were valid and had substance. Now, the things I fear are completely a product of the world we live in, or, the world I live in.

For instance, I fear getting behind a school bus. Not only does it make you late for wherever you are heading, but I can't stand those pesky children in the back row. They taunt you, make silly faces, stick out their tongue, and may even flip the bird. In my more mature days I would ignore those little boogers and turn the other way. I'm happy to report, I'm not that mature anymore. Now, I mirror whatever it is that they are doing to me. There's nothing like standing up for yourself. Crossing this fear off my list!!

I fear over-sleeping. There is nothing like waking up in the morning, wiping the crust from your eyes, and gazing at an alarm clock that is more than 30 minutes pass the time you should have been awake. The worst part is how you manage to over-sleep in the first place — you couldn't sleep for fear you would...over-sleep. Now, I just set all my clocks a few minutes ahead. I mean, if I'm going to be late at least I can be a little earlier on the lateness. Crossing this fear off my list!!

I fear the doctor's office. Who wouldn't? You sit for minutes at a time watching a depressing news station while you wait, only to hear the reporter say, "This just in...doctor's offices have the most germs." Dun, dun, dunnnnnn. To make matters worse, you forget your own name when it is called. "Keonte'? Is Keonte' here?" I mean really, how many years have you heard your name being called? And you sit there and look around like there is another one of you in the waiting room. PRICE.LESS. I could go on and on about this fear — the scale, the diagnostic tests, the results, the you-need-to-lose-a-few-pounds talk — but there is not enough time. Crossing this fear off my list!!

I fear being followed. There is irony in this people. How can someone who is a member of several online social networks fear being followed? Isn't this what you really want? Numbers, numbers, numbers!! Yes, that is what I want. But what I don't want is to be followed by someone who has a set of mugshot numbers. I fear being followed by the same car on the way home. It creeps me out when they make every, single turn I do. I am always tempted to change my route a bit, but who are they to force me to change? Well, errrrr, they could be a stalker. That's enough to make me take the scenic route home. However, this follow-fest always ends with the other person turning on a street near my house. It's very possible that they too live in the area. I need to lay-off of the scary movies. Whew! Crossing this fear off my list!!

I fear the unknown. Isn't that what all these fears are about?

Not knowing what your reaction is going to be.
Not knowing what is going to happen next.
Not knowing how to fix the problem.
Not knowing who will be hurt.
Not knowing in general.

I know you're waiting for the famous quote by FDR. You know it and I know it, so there's really no need to include it in this post. I will, however, leave you with this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“Always do what you are afraid to do.”

It makes perfect sense to me. Discovery is the quickest way to discovering. Let's explore the world...one {I'm-behind-the-school-bus} fear at a time.