My son recently told me that I need to be afraid of something...seems he thinks nothing scares me. To comfort him, I said, "No worries, I'm afraid of worms." And that's the truth.
When I made that statement, I had absolutely no idea where the fear came from. My sister is here visiting me. I told her about the conversation with my son.
She began laughing hysterically. "I can tell you why you're afraid of worms." When she stopped laughing for another moment, she finished, "Because I use to throw them on you when we were kids."
It all came back to me as though it were yesterday. Spring rains. Spring puddles. My sister. Worms on the sidewalk...slimy, wiggly, plump, smelly worms flying though the air....onto me.
Logically there's nothing about worms to be afraid of, however, when one lands in your hair it changes your perspective on an otherwise harmless creature.
Writers: Make a quick list of five things that scare the bejeebers out of you. Then chose the fear that jumps out at you and paints a picture it in your mind.
Take that fear and describe it from the perspective of your mind's eye. Then tell how it effects you physically. Does it make your eyes pop open wide? Does it make your skin crawl? Does it make you want to hide? Paint a picture with your words to describe your fear and its effect.
Please share!
Teachers and Parents: Do this same activity. Share your fears first (keep them lighthearted). Then, allow your kids to talk about their fears. Remember, creative talking moves easily into creative writing. Start with what your kids say and let them know they truly have something to write.
We'd love to hear what your kids say. Please share!
6 comments:
I am afraid of water that I can't see my feet in. Like lake or pond water. I do OK in it unless something touches my skin and then I cringe or get the heebie jeebie or worse... scream!
I giggled a bit about the worms. I can only imagine you and your sister. As one of our customers pointed out to us...sisters are from heaven...most of the time ;-)
We have this conversation a lot in my house. My "baby" (she just turned 17)is terrified of whales.
In fact, this conversation led me to write a poem back in February and I wanted to share it with you:
http://therer2doors-thespacebetweenwords.blogspot.com/2009/02/whale.html
I'm the same way with water where I can't see my feet... Lor' knows what's down there looking up at me, and I can't see down far enough to see THEM!
I wonder if my sister is afraid of snails? I used to put them in her hair and once got her to eat a plate full of them, telling her they were like french fries. (well, at 7, escargot and fries were both French, so they were the same thing in my mind!)
She hates me now... but I'm afraid it's mutual!
Worms...lol. Used to water the lawn, then go out with a flashlight and pull night crawlers out of the ground for Daddy to fish with, so thats not a fear.
SNAKES! I can't even now as an adult walk through the snake house at the zoo, even though they're under glass. Makes my skin crawl. My older brother...married to the author of this blog used to have lots of creeping crawling things in his cages. But, somehow.......they often ended up in my room. errrrrrr
SPIDERS! Had ticks on me as a kid from our family dogs and I don't think I ever got over that.
Big dogs, had one attack me as a kid; another as an adult. I'm not comfortable around lots of animals...and they know it which is not in my favor. Working for a plastic surgeon years ago and saw some pretty horrific disfigurements from family pets attacking neighbors as well as the family members.
I'm afraid of rats... I just don't understand why anyone would want to keep them as pets.
Yes, I know they are clever and they have shared this world with us since day one, but keep them as pets. I don't think so.
Why am I afraid of them? Well, I grew up next to a watermill, my father was a master miller. I could hear them in the walls of the house and I use to worry that they would get into my bedroom. They never did and they never came into our house, but the fear was always with me. I have to walk out of pet shops or keep well away from them if I know they are there. I'm okay with mice, shrews voles or any other small furry creatures. It's just rats.
Happy Easter, Jan for you and your family.
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