Things That Scare The Hell Out Of Me.

* Tractor trailers that are weaving all over the road, drivers clearly in need of sleep.  Or sobriety.  I guess that you could make that any kind of car, but somehow gigantic semis have more scare power.

* The thought of losing all my pictures to fire or technical failure.

* Trying to walk/hike/move on high-up, exposed places.  It's not a fear of heights, per se, but if I try to walk up a steep, narrow, hiking trail, my body will involuntarily drop onto all fours.  I once tried to walk across a train trestle (where I could see down to the creek WAY BELOW) and my feet wouldn't move.  Even though the space between the ties was only roughly an inch or so.  I also pretty much had a panic attack walking up the steps in a light house.  Once I got to the top, outside, I was fine but being able to see down, through the metal steps (while people were coming down the narrow-ass steps right next to me) almost paralyzed me.  This shit scares me so much that I can't believe that it doesn't scare EVERYONE.

* Forgetting the name of someone that I OBVIOUSLY know.  That, or accidentally calling someone by the wrong name in a social situation.

* Balls whizzing by at baseball games.  It doesn't even have to be that close to me to scare me.  All the [knuckle heads] enthusiasts are running toward the stray ball and I am [hiding under my seat] staying a safe distance away.

* Forgetting and missing a meeting or other important appointment.

* When I ask The Littlest New Girl where The New Baby is and she points to her own belly and smiles and then proceeds to open her little hand, wind up and smack herself on the tummy.  'BAAAAAAAAHF!' (So  not kidding.) (And, yes, there's totally an 'F' at the end now.  Now, it's BAAAAHF!)

[Edited to add (it's a working list):]

* Children with no conscience.

* People who seriously maintain that the Holocaust never happened.

* Fast food workers who wear protective gloves to make the food AND take the money. WTF?

Comments

[Julie @ The Mom Slant]

Along the same lines as Holocaust deniers, I seriously can't wrap my head around people who maintain that the earth is 6000 years old (young earth creationists) - or worse, the freaks who still believe the earth is flat. Yes, they do exist.

[The Domestic Goddess]

I really don't get people who can deny the holocaust. These are the same people (often) who don't think there is an AIDS crisis and that the African American People made up slavery to get something from the government. They also think that our president is the Antichrist and a false prophet. Go figure.

Sheesh. People are a teensy bit LOONY.

[Stimey]

I also worry about saying wrong names. Like, I KNOW I won't because I've known someone for a jillion years, but I'm still afraid I will.

[Creepy Mommy]

Oh, holy hell! I flip whne they take the money AND touch the food!!! Ahh, God, it's so gross.

[Lori]

OMG!!! THAT IS FUNNY- I was picturing you so LOW to the ground and scared and me peeing my pants but couldn't quite place it! lmfao omg now I TOTALLY remember. SO funny!

[Alexis M.]

Never climb Barnegat Lighthouse...it has the metal see through steps. I made it up to the first window and after that it was a no go because, like you, I ended up paralyzed with a panic attack. To make it worse, my fiance (who is usually very understanding of my *cough* bipolar *cough* quirkiness) decided that he was going to call my bluff and we had a fight right there and then INSIDE the lighthouse! I've also been to the Cape May Lighthouse and Hatteras...but I believe both of them have closed steps. I do have picture proof, however, that I got to the top of one of them. I hear ya about the grating, too. I have a hard time walking over anything like that, especially if there is a bridge. I tell myself if the bridge rusts through and breaks at that exact moment I was walking over it that I know how to swim. Weirdly enough, I have no problem driving over the grates.

A few years ago my family and I were going down to Florida to visit a dying family member. It was around midnight and the only other vehicle on a windy road outside of DC was a huge flatbed that kept weaving back and forth between both lanes. It probably took us 10 minutes to get to a safe place to get around this idiot and ended up calling 911.

I forget everyone's name all the time. I lost my shame over that a long time ago.

And about the baseballs...get a glove. Practice. Think DBT.

[Swistle]

I think of things such as Holocaust-denial and moon-landing-denial as falling squarely into Serious Mental Illness, Possibly Dangerous.

[the new girl]

No, Lor,
You remember. I was crawling on all fours up a fucking mountain. Like Claudia (RIP, Claud) who was the only other sentient being with enough sense to KEEP CLOSE TO MOTHER EARTH.
lmfao.

[Lori]

what? There are people that seriously maintain that the Holocaust never happened? That is scary.

I love that you are afraid of forgetting things because I feel like you remember everything!

Wasn't there a REALLY funny thing that happened with us that was about you being afraid of heights? I'm having a not so clear memory, lol. Was I with you on the train track thing? Or am I just remembering the story?

[ali]

i'm with you on SO many of these. too many, i think!
:)

[Amy Jo]

I fear birds flying past my head, like the ball thing. It's happened to me more times than I think is fair.

As far as the baby in the belly thing, we're having the same issue here. Except it's my son who thinks he's the one gestating. Can you say awkward?

[-R-]

I forget the names of people I know ALL THE TIME. I have had many an awkward situation related to this. It's not a new phenomenon either. I've been doing this since at least high school.

Thank you for reminding me to back up all my pictures on the computer!

She probably won't start smacking the new baby until he/she starts stealing TLNG's toys, so you have a few months for BAAAAHF to go away, I think.

[lora]

I almost died at age 10 on that Knox, Kinzua, Kane Railroad (KKK as it was abbreviated in the brochure we brought home from the trip) Trestle.

I didn't really almost die, but I sure felt like it. I still have nightmares.

I can't wait to take my kid there and scare the pants off of him someday.