What are some "scary things" to you?

Large waves like tidal & rogue waves, and tsunamis give me nightmares. Or at least they used to. But they still scare the hell out me, at least if I see them. Which I don't on dry land. I think at some point, we all are scared of heights. Spiders, I have never feared. In fact, whether at home or work, if I see a spider, I just throw it outside, I never kill it. I consider it one of the "good" insects. Every so often, once a month, or every other month, a snake or two manages to slither into my dreams. I never think about them. But I did get bit by a rattlesnake in Florida, the day before my 13th birthday.
 

katlupe said:
Salem's Lot, by Stephen King scared me so bad that I burned the book! I didn't even finish it. I couldn't sleep for weeks.
Click to expand...
I thought this was the scariest of all his books, one of his first, and on the 'thin' side compared to his later tomes. Brevity is another thing making this book so fantastically scary!
 
I'm not afraid of anything really. Living on the 8th floor I am above all the mess below. Maybe I'm afraid for the young generation that stands around starring at their phones. One day, they are going to get a pretty rude awakening.
 
I know one day I'll have to give up my van. I went to another safe living area, but the things that bothered me (having to cook outside in tent. Not being near my only personal transportation, not being near my possession(s), hoping no one stole my food.

I take risks at a gambling table. I'm not wanting to risk others getting into my stuff, or vehicle and destroying it and them.

And big spiders. That's why I won't go to Australia......
 
I fear having to rely on other people to do important things that I am not allowed to do myself.

Like getting some financial transaction done properly. I usually have to be all over them to do it right the first time, so I don't get stuck fixing it later. It's a PITA and I don't like to harass the clerks, but I have to, apparently, lol.
 
Nemo2 said:
In 1978 I did my one, and only, parachute jump....didn't help with the heights thing but the fiasco made for another tale to tell.
Click to expand...
Many years ago, my then boyfriend persuaded me to go on the big dipper (OMG! that sounds smutty :eek:). I screamed so loudly that there was a crowd of kids waiting for us to disembark seemingly just to stare at the person responsible for such a racket :( Even the tea cup rides made me nauseous and don't even mention clowns! Clowns are scary!!! 🤡
 
Here's my parachute story:

1978...Southern Ontario.

Do not like heights....so said "OK let's jump out of a plane"

- Regular procedure, they give you the basics in the morning and you jump with a static line in the afternoon.

- Wind blows up in the afternoon.....regs are that novices can't jump if wind is above a certain velocity.....come back next week.

- Following week, windy....sit all morning...watch one of the 'semi-pros' overshoot and land on top of a van in the parking lot. See another, whose main 'chute didn't open, switch to the reserve and land (unharmed) in a bush.

- Afternoon....wind drops..."Lock & Load"
I have the shortest line, so I'm to be first out. Another plane in the area, so we have to circle for 5 minutes....newbies all kneeling so as not to accidently open chutes.

- OK..out on the strut....throw yourself backwards and GO!

- So...attached to the harness is a one way radio in order that the ground instructor can communicate. I'm jumper #1

- Floating down....ground instructor's voice says "OK #2, if you're not going to listen to me, you're on your own".....(I'm thinking "Um, what about #1?????")

- Voice from a CB radio says "Hey Charlie I've got a case of beer in the back of the truck, head over to my place" - What? Who are you, and who the **** is Charlie?

- OK...self determination time....recalling the guy who overshot, and not wanting to repeat that, I start 'crabbing' to slow the trajectory.

- Did a great job of crabbing, land in an adjacent, freshly plowed, farmer's field, and pull a tendon in my leg. Wind's pulling the chute, I'm trying to limp after it and haul it in. Buddy runs over to help. I ask did the ground instructor (whom he was sitting near) say anything? He replies "Oh yeah, he said you're doing great #1".

- One & done.
 
Public Speaking :eek:

At work the VP of our division wanted me to give a seminar about my progress solving some of the technical challenges we faced. So being the INTP I am my life long fear is public speaking. I almost didn’t get through college just because of English composition class.

Anyway, being the typical introverted engineer I am this was a nightmare to spend a whole day at the podium speaking. There were maybe 50 – 60 people in attendance and I don’t even remember what the hell I said but got through it.

Maybe I should taken my buddies advice to join ToastMasters.
 
ANDME said:
I am afraid of elevators, flying on planes, large bodies of water. and heights. Most people have no problem with these phobias, I just wonder why I do? But what scares me the most is old age and not being able to do for myself. The other phobias I could handle, but old age is the one I fear the most. Do you think fear is helpful or harmful? Why? All people fear something. What are some "scary thing" to you?
Click to expand...
When I was in my early teens I used to deliberately walk down a dark alley in Chicago where I lived at that time. I would force myself to walk down the unlit stairs which led to the basement door of some apartment building. I would look all about into the darkness when at the bottom, showing myself there were no Frankenstein or Wolfman waiting for me in the dark.

Further down the alley, I wold force myself to walk down a darkened sidewalk leading from someone's garage to their backyard. It didn't take too many of these trips down those dark alleys to convince something in the back of my head that I was safe.

However, I would not recommend doing such today because of the homeless druggies who infest our cities and our lives.
 
1955 said:
Public Speaking :eek:

At work the VP of our division wanted me to give a seminar about my progress solving some of the technical challenges we faced. So being the INTP I am my life long fear is public speaking. I almost didn’t get through college just because of English composition class.

Anyway, being the typical introverted engineer I am this was a nightmare to spend a whole day at the podium speaking. There were maybe 50 – 60 people in attendance and I don’t even remember what the hell I said but got through it.

Maybe I should taken my buddies advice to join ToastMasters.
Click to expand...
I'm INTP too! Nice to meet you.

In university I had to give "presentations." I was quite miffed. "Hey, I'm paying you! You don't get to torture me."

I did belong to Toastmasters in my 40s. It was fun. I also took two selling courses, to challenge myself. It's only now that I'm getting over myself though.
 
Pepper said:
I'm afraid of what just happened last night & again this morning:
My elevator button for my floor, 4th, is broken. No signs of warning on the elevator doors. Had to go to 5th, laden with packages, walk down. This morning a neighbor assisted me. Now I am marooned in my apt. till this gets fixed. I've developed a fear of walking down stairs, not up. Feel more likely to fall going down.

That and becoming more pathetic physically as I age.
Click to expand...
same here, Pepper. Much more comfortable walking upstairs than down.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top