How I Overcame the Fear of Everything Except Spiders

Photo by FlorS Q

When I was younger, I lived in a world of fear. As a child I would be unexpectedly punched in the face or beaten for anything from answering a question wrong to laughing too loud so I was on guard all the time. I never knew when the next blow or blows would come.

So I guess I came by my fear honestly. I always had my antennae out which is a great skill if you live in a war zone.

I still scan rooms when I enter to see who is there, who might be a threat and where the exits are but not because I feel fear. It’s just an ingrained habit which came in handy two years ago when I had three special education kids to hide during a school lock down because of a gunshots fired. I knew the best place to go and then I was able to keep them calm as I explained to them how we were in the safest place on campus.

I was also dreadfully shy when I was younger which is really just another form of fear. I would get violently ill if I had to do a verbal book report in school and I had several tricks to keep teachers from calling on me. It turned out to be a great way to develop my intuition. I always knew when they were about to call my name and I would drop my pencil or blow my nose or cough. It worked every time.

I got married on my 18th birthday to my best friend’s brother and we moved far away…