Conquering Fears One Toilet Bowl at a Time

Yesterday I was flushed down the toilet bowl...four times.  Now allow me to explain before your imaginations take hold.  We went to a water park.  I'm not sure the exact number of times we have taken our children to a water park.  I can tell you the exact number of times I went to a water park as a child.  Zero.  I never went to a water park as a child.  I couldn't even tell you if they existed when I was a kid although my husband assures me that they did; just not on the scale that they are today.   My mother was afraid of the water.  We didn't have a pool except for the Scooby Doo pop up pool I had as a child.  I didn't learn how to swim until after I was married and my husband put me in swimming lessons.  I cannot swim to the bottom of the pool to this day.  (human buoy and all) I know just enough to get by in my pool. 

So you can see where my fear of water slides could come into play.  My children are great swimmers.  We own a pool and I put them in swimming lessons as babies.  They love the water and love water slides.  My husband loves the water and the water slides also.  The have a great time going on these water slides while I read a good book and people watch.  This year I went on a family water slide.  I was terrified.  It felt like we were flying a million miles an hour and then something happened.  I didn't fall out of the family size tube and I didn't drown.  Then even more amazing, I said "Let's do that again!"  I then went on the water slide that looked like a toilet bowl with my husband.  I rode that one twice with him and twice with my son.  Then before we left I rode the family ride with the family one last time.  At this point I'm not sure why I was scared.

While on our big family vacation a couple of weeks ago I rode a small roller coaster and three simulated rides.  I never ride the rides.  I hold everyone's things while they ride the rides.  I had a birthday while we were on this vacation.  I'm not sure if I am getting braver as I get older or if I am finally starting to loose it faster than ever before.  All I know is that I am discovering that I have missed out on a few things that are really fun.  I still don't want to go on the big roller coasters but the simulated rides are great.  They are both thrilling and yet, in my mind, much safer.

When I was a small child I was afraid to go down my slide on my swing set.  I'm not sure why I was afraid and mostly I don't remember it, I just remember my mom telling me the story.  I am afraid of heights.  I was once afraid of trying sushi and I was a bit apposed to guacamole.  Both are things I enjoy now even though I don't eat the sushi that has raw fish in it.  I'm getting braver but I'm not trying to get salmonella.  (There are reasons why food should be cooked.  Am I right?)  My point being that I have spent my entire life afraid of things that maybe I shouldn't have been.

I don't know what fear will be next, if any.  Cooked spinach that is not in a quiche or some other dish will never be something I will want to conquer.  Pees that are not mixed into fried rice will never hold a place in my heart.  Perhaps it won't be a food related fear.  Maybe it will not involve something that looks like a toilet bowl.  But until then...I guess I will consider myself Heather Nestleroad:  Conquering fears one toilet bowl at a time.  Has a nice ring to it don't you think?