Thursday, July 29, 2010

Are YOU Afraid of the Dark?

I used to be.  Not sure why or when it happened.  I just was.  Sending me to bed first was what my folks hoped would be the cure.  Now there was nothing there but I imagined there were monsters under my bed, in the closet and generally any room with the lights out.  I would turn down my bed and with my hand on the light switch, run to my bed as soon as I flipped it off.  Under the covers, I was safe.

I really don’t remember how long I was like this or when it finally stopped but one day I could even sit in my closet, with the door shut, and not feel afraid.

Compared to others I met, I found there was not much I did fear.  Spiders, snakes, heights, water and I hoped even death.   I was afraid of diving into a swimming pool for almost a year when I did a belly flop on a dive and really stung my chest.  The next summer I finally did manage a dive and I was fine ever since.

I used to climb buildings and trees and not be fearful looking down.  I remember even having a recurring dream as a child where I would get back a few steps and then run at full speed off a cliff.  I would, always waking before I reached the bottom.   I remember being told by somebody that if I hit bottom, I would be dead.

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