I know a guy who is afraid of heights. He's going to rappel down a 22 story building in a couple of weeks. It's for a good cause. I am also afraid of heights. I'm giving the other guy some money for the good cause. I will not be rappelling from anywhere higher than my bed. Why would I do that?
People say it's good to face your fears. I say, "what's the point?"
If I have a fear and facing it results only in bragging rights, then I'm good. I'll stay humble and fearful. If I have a fear that, when faced, stands to improve my life, then I'm all for it.
Littleb is afraid of the water. He does not like water on his face, never has. This is a fear that his Dad and I will help him overcome because knowing how to swim doesn't suck. Last night, he jumped through the sprinkler several times and I almost cried. It is not something he's ever been willing to do. Real progress has been made this summer.
I am afraid of arachnids, heights and haggling. I see no need to pet a tarantula or jump out of a plane. Should I ever be in a position where I have no choice but to jump out of a plane into a rain forest full of bird tarantulas, then I guess I'll deal with my fears then. It's sort of how Teenager Who Lives in the Basement (TWLITB) deals with his chores. He procrastinates in hopes that they will cease to exist. Sometimes it works. I will exhaust all other options before exiting the plane.
The haggling, though, I'm not sure about that one. Would a good haggle improve my life? It occurred to me this morning that I've never been through the car purchasing process even though I've owned several cars over the years. The first three were handled by my Dad. He bought one when I got my license, helped me get another when that one stopped working, and then finally did the haggling for me when I bought my first brand new vehicle. He tried to teach me, he really did, but when he said, "tell him you want _____ or you're leaving", I handed the phone to the sales man and said, "Hey, my Dad wants to talk to you."
When that car wore out, I got married and my new husband purchased my next car.
I'm up in the air about the haggling. There are other opportunities to purchase cars these days that circumvent the whole negotiation process so, really, it's not something I need to do. Who decided, by the way, that we would all haggle over the price of a car? Who made that rule?
What fear should you face to improve the quality of your life?
Chicken out
My mother is a haggler, and in the spirit of many a mother-daughter relationship I have sworn never to do what my mother does :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with littleb on the water issue. I have solved the dilemma of "what if you're thrown into the ocean and can't swim?" by refusing to get in a boat or on a ferry, or wade in over my ankles. And not associating with people who might throw me in. And by marrying a former lifeguard. My brother, on the other hand, just spent two years (!) sailing his boat down the coast of North America and back. We are nothing alike, and not sailing doesn't bother me, but I could probably stand to get over some of that fear so I could go with him for a half an hour sometime.
You come up with the most interesting posts!
Marrying a life guard-that's priceless. It would be nice to go for a sale with your brother, wouldn't it? You could wear a multitude of flotation devices just in case! Thanks for reading my posts.
DeleteI am afraid of having needles stuck into my eyes, but as I need cataract surgery, I'm going to have to get past that real soon.
ReplyDelete-Doug in Oakland
Hi Doug-yikes. I am now also afraid of having needles stuck in my eyes. Good luck with your surgery. I'll be praying they give you some good anesthesia.
DeleteDoug, if they ask you if you want "something to take the edge off", TAKE IT.
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