Saturday, September 21, 2013

Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails... well, maybe not snails.

The other day I was walking my dogs around the lake.  We had arrived at the nature trail section of the route, which is, generally, the easiest part.  Soft, earthy paths to walk on, no cars driving past, and usually no other people or pets, either.  It is a verdant, secluded walk through the shady woods, and even on oppressively hot days I feel comfortable and protected back there.

As we meandered along, a motion on the ground caught my eye.  Glancing over, I saw a small black snake with long yellow stripes slithering sideways across the trail.  Startled, I caught my breath as my heart began to pound, just a little bit.

"It's ok," I told myself.  "It is only a snake.  You are not afraid of snakes.  You are only afraid of mice.  And rats.  And cats."  Immediately, I felt ever so much better.  I am only afraid of rodents and felines, not reptiles.

...unless the reptile is a giant, flesh-eating crocodile lurking in the bayou.  I am afraid of those, but anybody would be.

What are you afraid of?

2 comments:

Hope T. said...

I am afraid of mice, rats, and cats, also. In addition I am afraid of dogs, except very small dogs. After what I learned about bats last week, I am afraid of bats, too, even more afraid of them than I used to be.

I am afraid of airplanes. I am afraid of heights, not just being high up myself but even seeing other people on a high place, especially children. My stomach always drops. I fear driving, especially in the dark, in the rain, and in cities. Speaking of cities, I am afraid of them. I sort of live in a city but the ones I am really afraid of are big ones like Boston, New York, Baltimore, and Philly.

I am afraid of power tools and tunnels. And I am very afraid of being misunderstood, which often keeps me from attempting to talk to people.

Not an exhaustive list but enough for now, probably!

ruth said...

I am mostly afraid of throwing up in airplanes, not of flying per se. But flying is definitely not my favorite.

I am only afraid of dogs if they are barking in a threatening way, growling and frothing at the mouth. Otherwise I am not usually afraid of dogs. I am terrified of cats.

I do not care for heights, but I don't think I'm phobic of them. I despise driving, and I, like you, hate driving in cities. In fact, I will not drive in an unfamiliar city (all the ones you named, plus Chicago and LA), and I don't care to drive in familiar ones. I don't mind driving in the rain too much, but I do not like driving in the snow.

Being in a tunnel always gives me the creeps. Also, I get that awful feeling in my stomach when we drive over a big bridge over water. Ugh!

I don't have a lot of experience with power tools, but I know a few people who have had accidents with power saws and their hands. This makes me feel very cautious around tools, but I view that as a reasonable, rational fear (as opposed to my irrational fear of cats). Similarly, I have a fear of being alone in the Bronx after dark, but fortunately my life does not ever call me to go into the Bronx alone, after dark.

I don't have a fear of being misunderstood as much as I have a fear of being rejected. I should probably think about whether people understand me or not, before I get my feelings all hurt over a perceived rejection. I think I might be afraid of people, in a general sense, and perhaps it is because I do not understand them very well, more than because they do not understand me, but it probably goes both ways. I am not afraid of babies or children; I can mind-meld with them pretty well most of the time.