Meet Bruiser. Bruiser is my new buddy. He showed up just in time for the FIVE parties we’ll be attending this week. Bruiser mistakenly thought I was 16, but decided to stick around even though I am a 37 year old, Mom of two. How nice of him.
But, let’s zoom out shall we? Bruiser decided to plop down for his visit near my left ear. The ears so lovingly passed on to me by my Dad. Thanks Pop.
Our family took a road trip today and enjoyed a five mile hike through Ohio’s beautiful Hocking Hills.
And, there was climbing…
Did I mention there was climbing?
Our five mile hike took us four hours.
When we got home I made an attempt to be funny and asked, “So, does anybody want to go for a walk?”
And, my nine year old daughter made me wish they could sell her pep-in-a-bottle, when she said, “I do!!”
When I was eight years old, on an early June afternoon, another eight year old girl who lived a few miles from me was abducted on her way home from school. She was found murdered in a culvert just blocks from her house.
I remember my Mom watching me walk to school the next morning, which she had never done before. I could sense her fear. It was the first time I can recall really being scared.
Shortly after this incident, I had a nightmare that the girl’s killer was in my room. I dreamed that he was hiding behind my bedroom door and I was facing certain death. The murder was never solved, so I have no idea what the killer looked like. But in that nightmare, my eight year old mind had a detailed image. The murderer was Mr. Clean.
In my dream, I slowly pulled the door back to reveal him standing there with a broom. Mr. Clean was sweeping my floor. It took many years before I could buy any of his products. But, those Magic Erasers? Well, they make my heart skip a beat.
My point is that even rational fears can sometimes turn irrational.
Some friends of ours are having a hard time with their daughter. She is suddenly terrified of tornados. Rational? Yes.
When she sees a random gray cloud in the sky, she begins to freak out. Rational? No.
I used to housesit for a neighbor when I was young and they had a cat that would greet me by standing on its hind legs while hissing and baring its teeth. From that experience, I grew to be truly scared of cats. Rational? Yes.
When a friend’s cat comes purring and rubbing against my legs, it might as well be a boa constrictor. Rational? No.
I even know a grown man with a true fear of clowns.
I know we’re not alone. There must be at least one person out there who is scared of Aunt Jemima or who cowers at the sight of cheerleaders. I want to make our friends feel better about what’s going on with their daughter. So boys and girls…what’s your irrational fear?
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