“Quick! Come down here!” yelled Jim. “They’re in the catacombs in Edinburgh!”
He was downstairs watching one of those ridiculous ghost hunter shows last night. Apparently they were trying to contact spirits in these old and infamous hidden rooms and tunnels discovered in downtown Edinburgh.
When we were there in 1998, we signed up for a ghost tour that took us through those same cave-like tombs.
It was plenty scary during the tour, but even scarier when we went back by ourselves around midnight after visiting several local pubs.
Although I remember wanting something Supernaturally Scary to happen and being disappointed when it didn’t.
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My personal fears range from the rational (God I hope I don’t fart in this meeting) to the completely irrational (driving over suspension bridges scares the crap outta me for no reason.)
What scares you? Anything?
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I know a few people who have stories – good stories – about their own experiences with the supernatural.
And I believe them, mostly.
But I’m a cynic when it comes to ghosts and goblins.
Only because I’ve never personally experienced anything that would lead me to believe they exist.
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Of course, it’s the daily, rational fears that get us most: Losing loved ones, our livelihoods, our homes.
Scary movies and ghosts tours are popular because it distracts us from the reality that eventually all of us will lose the extremely comfortable way things are Right Now to whatever might happen tomorrow.
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Now that I think about it, I’m not afraid of much.
The cynical among you would say it’s because I’ve had a pretty cushy life to this point. True.
But I think it’s mostly because I have faith. Faith that everything will work out the way that it’s supposed to always. Always.
And that’s something - unlike ghosts - that I do have personal experience with.
Everything always works out. Everything gets better eventually.
So you can have faith or you can have fear.
But you can’t have both.
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I am listening to: The fan on my desk
I am reading: The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene
And I am: Not afraid
3 weeks ago
2 comments:
I guess i dont believe in the "supernatural" but from what you're saying, I guess I live in "Fear." I've definitely had a life full of rollercoaster rides, From near death with Cancer to a tremendous career and wonderful family. Believe me, I don't want to sound snobbish at all, but I feel like I've made it to the top and I just feel like, at some point in my life, someone is going to kick my feet out from under me. I'm almost 40, I've done very well at work, I have a Gorgeous wonderful wife, 2 Wonderful kids, live in a great house and have awesome friends. But I've always felt like "Failure" will show up at some point. I.E. I lose my job..then my savings....have to move...have to take my kids out of their school....wife leaves with kids...and I end up moving back to Mt.Clemens, MI...which for me, would be the ultimate in "Failure." I spent my whole life trying to get out of there. I just don't want to end up mowing lawns in the Clem!!! I'm embarrassed to say all this, but it's how I feel! Maybe this "Race" with "Failure" is what keeps me trying my best at everything I do!..and.....Maybe it's working...hmmmmmmm....hey Hedy, any thoughts?
We who live in America have a cushy life. Okay, maybe not everyone, but most. We all have an opportunity to succeed. “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. What was Jefferson thinking when this was penned into our Declaration of Independence? I’m not sure if he authored that phrase, but it’s brilliant! What do you intend to pursue? We only need to step outside of North America to realize that America is a special place.
I’ve always thought that life is like a hand of poker. Some people are dealt a terrible hand, others a royal flush out of the gate. The key is to work with the hand you’re dealt to make the best hand you can. We certainly didn’t choose our parents or our place of birth. Why wasn’t I born in Rwanda? For whatever reason, I had a decent hand dealt me.
I believe everyone has a little fear inside of them. Fear can drive one to succeed or crush another. Mt. Clemens isn’t so bad, try the slums of Bangalore. I suppose beauty is actually in the eye of the beholder.
I live Saginaw with a wonderful wife for 19+ years. We have 3 beautiful daughters who’ve added to the pleasure (and sometimes pain) of life.
A line in a movie we all need to watch occasionally to bring us back to earth: “Remember George, no man is a failure who has friends. –Clarence”. Of which I know I have many.
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