It's pretty safe to say that anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge worry wart, so when trying to think of what I am the most scared of for today's post for the challenge, it was hard to pick just one. Of course there are the usual suspects like spiders, getting in a car crash, losing someone I love, or getting sick (good thing I am a WebMD expert!), but there are also really random and ridiculous things I worry about. Like when I walk to my car at work, I worry that the parking garage will spontaneously collapse. Or that when I'm taking a shower a snake is going to crawl up through the pipes. I'm also a HUGE food safety stickler, so I refuse to eat anything that's been sitting out for longer than it should be. (That's what I get for getting a degree in hospitality--damn you Serv Safe!)
I think the thing that scares me the most are those unthinkable things that no one sees coming, and when they happen, people just don't even know how to respond. I typically don't write about current events on my blog, but things like the Boston Marathon and Sandy Hook--those things sometimes don't even seem real when they are miles away and you don't have any personal connection to them, but what about if something happens more close to home? Last month, an acquaintance from high school was tragically killed in an accident while she was walking to work. Literally walking across the street. A fellow Penn Stater recently passed away after running the Pittsburgh Marathon. An otherwise healthy 23-year old kid, gone in an instant. It makes me wonder what I have done in life to avoid things like this, but also scares me that something like that could be coming my way any second. That's just the thing--nobody knows.
The rain today put me in a contemplative mood for this post. I originally thought of going the humorous route and discussing in length my fear of parking garages or my plethora of grim Google diagnoses over the years, but I think it's important every now and then to be real with each other and share the things truly on our hearts. It's so easy to connect with each other over cute outfits and good recipes, but the real connections happen when we can identify with one another and find comfort in not being the only one to feel the way we do.
So just for today, let's not worry.
Hi Brenda - Just found your blog when I clicked through from Jenni's challenge, and I'm certainly going to have a look around. I love this post. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, I could relate to every single worry you just wrote about. The other night, I asked my husband what he was afraid of. He came up with one simple, understandable answer. Then I asked him what I was afraid of. He said "everything." I really appreciated this post :)
ReplyDeleteThe nice thing about not knowing? All those terrible things one fears might well end up being nonexistent and there are wonderful things on the horizon instead.
ReplyDeletePlus, the older I get the more I realise that knowing everything that would happen in your future would be a special kind of hell: the fear of the bad things would stew and stew...whilst the surprise and impact of the good things could only be reduced. Plus, think how boring to relive every. single. moment. of. your. life.
Thanks for sharing this! I fear things in the same way... but it's true... as much as we can try to prepare ourselves for "the worst," we still aren't in control and something unexpected could happen. And I guess the way I console myself is by saying, "Well, at least those people were living!" They were out there doing things... ah, sometimes that's not a consolation, though, haha. :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you have a fear of parking garages collapsing, as I have the same fear. In college I always had to park in a parking garage and hated it.
ReplyDelete