Three legitimate fears I have are:
1. Rodents: I do not like mice or rats. I guess I would say I have a fear of them. I don’t really know where this fear evolved from or if there was one specific event that caused this fear to develop. But I do recall an experience involving a rat that nearly put me into labor. One day I was sitting on a neighbor’s front porch when I had the urge to use the bathroom. I was nearly 8 months pregnant at the time. The neighbors in our apartment building had previously informed me there was a huge rat roaming the building but this was not on my mind when I rose to go into the building to use the bathroom. So guess who (or what) I ran into as I opened the door to head up to our apartment? Yup you guessed it – THE RAT!! This joker must have been the size of a small cat and had a nasty waddle when he walked. He stopped me dead in my tracks. I grabbed my stomach and jumped down the 3 or 4 steps I had just climbed to get to the door and RAN! Eight months pregnant! Yup, he won and solidified my fear of rats!
2. Heights: I do have a fear of heights but I am determined to tackle this one. Again, I do not know where this fear originated. I have acknowledged this one and have taken steps to conquer it over the years. I can now look out the window of a high-rise building without hyperventilating. This fear is strange because it has not stopped me from enjoying flying in airplanes, just don’t ask me to jump out of one.
3. Swimming: It has been difficult learning how to swim over the years because of a traumatic experience in the fourth grade. I guess as a result of this experience I know have a fear of swimming. I am truly determined to conquer this fear, I just need to find an extra special teacher or be hypnotized. This fear has not stopped my love of the beach and water parks. It all started when I was in the fourth grade and we were in our mandatory swimming class for gym/physical education. I was doing fine with the float board and felt pretty good. I was thinking to myself, “just a few more days on this board and I will be a pro!” Little did I know, time with my beloved board was up! The teacher gave the instruction – place the boards on the side of the pool and float on your own. Say what? I wasn’t ready for that, surely I had more time with my board. Apparently not! Here comes the teacher shouting the instructions once again. When she reached my location in the pool she “helped” me give up my board by pulling it out of my hands and pushing my head under water. Was she crazy! I immediately went into panic mode and just knew I was going to drown. Well the teacher saw this and grabbed me so I was able to get my balance and stand up on my own (yes, we were only in 3 feet of water but I heard it only takes a tablespoon of water to drown!). I immediately left the pool, never to return for that block of instructions. So, there you have it! I am determined to conquer this fear because I do love the beach and I have to be ready for our family trip to Hawaii planned for Christmas 2015!