There are those that are completely irrational. Like when I was a kid and the army ants on Tarzan picked a man clean to the bone in like five minutes. I was (and sort of still am) afraid of all ants after that, certain that they were going to follow me home and make me their next bistro meal. While ants like that do exist, they’re not all that fond of people and they don’t live in Oklahoma.
There are those that seem a little crazy but in retrospect actually make sense. At my grandmother’s house there was one of those open grate furnace vents between the living and dining room. It was actually the access panel to the furnace. And you could see the blue pilot light if you looked down into it. As a child for as long as I can remember, I either skirted it on the narrow frame of rug surrounding it or jumped over it. And my heart rate always ratcheted up accordingly as if something horrible would happen if I missed and stepped on the grate. Well, come to find out years later, as a toddler, I fell and burned my hand on the grate. So my fear, although not supported by my memory was based on solid fact.
Then there are the insanely silly fears that have absolutely no source and still terrify us silly. In my case…revolving doors. I have no idea what it is about a revolving door that scares me, but suffice it to say I will do most anything I can think of to avoid using one. For most of my life, this ridiculous fear of moving glass has gone unnoticed by my near and dear because, quite frankly, there aren’t a lot of revolving doors in the Southwest where I’ve lived most of my life.
Enter Manhattan—Land of the Revolving Doors. Practically everyday I find myself faced with faced with one of more of the darn things. And my fear hasn’t lessened one iota. To make it worse, I’m a people pleaser, and so I take the little signs saying “please use revolving doors” seriously. Which makes for a lot of sucking it up, saying a prayer and moving through as quickly as possible, heart threatening to break out of my chest.
And because I’m a writer—poor Vanessa in A Match Made on Madison sadly shares my fear of revolving doors, and so my fears found their way to the printed page.
How about you? Any irrational fears? Crazy things (like revolving doors) that aren’t really all that scary that set you off? Do tell!
When not sitting at the computer writing, award winning author Dee Davis spends her time exploring Manhattan with her husband, daughter, and Cardigan Welsh Corgi. Her newest book, Double Danger will hit shelves on December 18th. Visit her at www.deedavis.com
Photo Credit: Revolving Door - Keith Bloomfield (Flikr)
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