no fear

[sunshinegirl]

okay, so what have you always wanted to do but were held back by fear? if you could put all fear aside, what are some things you'd do?


i'd love to go parasailing, but i'm terrified of being in the deep water. well, more scared of what's IN the deep water. i love seeing the world from way up high- i went on a hot air balloon ride once, and i did this free-fall sorta dive thing that wasn't on a bungee you just dropped from really high and then soared back and forth. i just can't do the water thing.

[Gilda Dent]

Go to parties, nightclubs, or concerts.

Go swimming at the beach or to a water park.

Enter a road race.

Take up a coworker or neighbor on an offer to come have dinner with them.

Bungie jumping, skydiving, parasailing and the like I don't avoid out of fear, though I would be scared to death to do those things, but because those are things I know I wouldn't enjoy.

[Cam63]

Eat a salad.

[shrike]

Go to Europe... but I HATE flying in planes.

I am usually medicated or deprive myself of sleep beforehand so I can deal with them.

[Darediva]

Go on a vacation cruise, but I'm afraid of deep water, old farts, and shuffleboard.

And...ARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

[Shisho]

Take singing lessons.

Dye my hair purple.

Learn how to bellydance.

[shrike]

Take singing lessons.

Dye my hair purple.

Learn how to bellydance.

Why are you afraid of these?

[sunshinegirl]

Take singing lessons.

Dye my hair purple.

Learn how to bellydance.

ha! my pink is fading again... the 'colors' like that ususally fade pretty quickly, and you can get the kind that washes out after like 2 washes- just to be fun.

...oh and the belly dancing-- just buy an instructional dvd. first thing you'll learn is the figure 8.

fun stuff.

[TCJohnson]

i'd love to go parasailing, but i'm terrified of being in the deep water. well, more scared of what's IN the deep water. i love seeing the world from way up high- i went on a hot air balloon ride once, and i did this free-fall sorta dive thing that wasn't on a bungee you just dropped from really high and then soared back and forth. i just can't do the water thing.


I am scared of heights. So, just because I am scared of heights, I went parasailing this summer. Absolutely loved it.

As soon as I drop some more weight I am going skydiving.

You just gotta do it.

By the way, if it helps, you don't have to go into the water.

[Pink Bat Max]

Just to have more courage telling people I care about how I really feel about them.

And to flirt, or flirt back, in real life. Really, it's pathetic how backwards I am there.

[TCJohnson]

My really big fear, the one I cannot get over, is talking in front of people.

Also have a fear of talking to people I don't know on phones. That one I can do, but it takes a lot of effort. Whenever I talk to anybody on the phone at work I have to take a few seconds to prepare myself.

[sunshinegirl]

I am scared of heights. So, just because I am scared of heights, I went parasailing this summer. Absolutely loved it.

As soon as I drop some more weight I am going skydiving.

You just gotta do it.

By the way, if it helps, you don't have to go into the water.

hmm.. i'm pretty pitiful considering i live 5 miles inland. you'd think i'd get over it and quit bein' a sissy. of course now i'd have to find someone to go with me, and i don't have extra money with all my school crap. although, i'm sure the prices will drop now that it's the off season.

[TCJohnson]

hmm.. i'm pretty pitiful considering i live 5 miles inland. you'd think i'd get over it and quit bein' a sissy. of course now i'd have to find someone to go with me, and i don't have extra money with all my school crap. although, i'm sure the prices will drop now that it's the off season.

And you have your own flotation devices!


....what? I thought everybody in florida just kept their own life jackets.

[sunshinegirl]

And you have your own flotation devices!


....what? I thought everybody in florida just kept their own life jackets.

mine are real!


oh... floatation devices are in next to the pool.

[TCJohnson]

Erm....glad your life jackets are real. Would suck if they weren't....

If you needed them, and they were fake, would probably add to your fear of water.

[Pink Bat Max]

Also, learn to swim.

I almost drowned as a child. I'm deathly afraid.

[Gilda Dent]

Add flirting to mine.

[will_butler]

Add flirting to mine.

My God, is that a Modesty Blaise avatar? If so, a woman of your discerning tastes should have no problem whatsoever finding someone with whom to flirt.

Will

[Night Swordsman]

Also, learn to swim.

I almost drowned as a child. I'm deathly afraid.

Don't be. I too was afraid to swim after i almost drowned when i was young.

But i forced myself as a teen to do it,and quickly got it done and went on with my life. I do not enjoy recreational swimming,but i can swim.

And i think you would be fun to flirt with,irl. :) Wished you lived closer.

[Gilda Dent]

My God, is that a Modesty Blaise avatar? If so, a woman of your discerning tastes should have no problem whatsoever finding someone with whom to flirt.

Will

It isn't a matter of finding someone, it's a matter of lacking the ability and finding it scary.

I get opportunities, or at least I used to, usually when I'm meeting Emily for lunch and waiting for her in the bar area of the restaurant. Sometimes we'll get guys hitting on us even after she arrives, which is flattering and a little nerve inducing at the same time.

And yes, that's Ms Blaise. She's my favorite comic character from any medium. I am buying the reprints as they come out. It's an awesome time to be a fan.

Oh and for the swimming phobics:

This summer I went swimming
This summer I almost drowned
But I held my breath
And I kicked my feet
And I moved my arms around
I moved my arms around

For me, it isn't the swimming part--I can swim perfectly adequately--it's the swimming suit part. More specifically, being seen in public in a swimming suit. [shudders]

[Pink Bat Max]

It isn't a matter of finding someone, it's a matter of lacking the ability and finding it scary.

I get opportunities, or at least I used to, usually when I'm meeting Emily for lunch and waiting for her in the bar area of the restaurant. Sometimes we'll get guys hitting on us even after she arrives, which is flattering and a little nerve inducing at the same time.


For me, it isn't the swimming part--I can swim perfectly adequately--it's the swimming suit part. More specifically, being seen in public in a swimming suit. [shudders]

SOoooooo very much true for me too. Which, you know, is okay because swimming is terrifying anyway. But I can't really even enjoy the beach. I'd like to do that, at least. =p

[StoneGold]

Rocketing across the Alkalai Flats in a jet-powered, monkey navigated... and it keeps going on like this.



Actually, that's a lie. If the opportunity presented itself, I'd do that. Maybe that's what I'm afraid of. Doing stuff when the opportunity doesn't present itself. Because I've jumped from planes, I've jumped from platforms, gone SCUBAing, talked to girls, the whole nine yards, but I tend to not seek these things out, they just come to me.

[Pink Bat Max]

And i think you would be fun to flirt with,irl.

Thanks! Although, in fairness, I generally freeze up, turn red, and say 'guh?' anytime I realize someone's flirtin' with me. Which may be amusing in it's own way.

[a. non]

the irony being my signature:

Coming out to my family as Transgender/gender variant. I keep remembering how well coming out Bi went.

[Cam63]

Go on a vacation cruise, but I'm afraid of deep water, old farts, and shuffleboard.

And...ARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Don't hold them in, silly.

[mgs]

like many people, I've fantasized about having a 3-some. Confronted with it actually in my life 2x's, I've turned it down cause at the time I was really into 1 of the people and I'm a 1 person guy. I have enough fun concentrating on 1 person at a time, 2 at the same time seems like a lot of work.

[sunshinegirl]

Also, learn to swim.

I almost drowned as a child. I'm deathly afraid.

scary!

i've been around water my whole life (beaches/pools, etc. took swimming class in high school) so i don't have a fear of swimming. i LOVE the water. i lOVE the beach.. i just canNOT get in past my knees at the beach...and parasailing--eek! it's SOO frustrating because i'd love the rush. i should do it just to torture myself.

[shrike]

like many people, I've fantasized about having a 3-some. Confronted with it actually in my life 2x's, I've turned it down cause at the time I was really into 1 of the people and I'm a 1 person guy. I have enough fun concentrating on 1 person at a time, 2 at the same time seems like a lot of work.

I've never had a threesome, but I'm terribly selfish, even in the sack. I don't share.

[mgs]

I've never had a threesome, but I'm terribly selfish, even in the sack. I don't share.

As well you shouldn't! ;P jk.

[sunshinegirl]

like many people, I've fantasized about having a 3-some. Confronted with it actually in my life 2x's, I've turned it down cause at the time I was really into 1 of the people and I'm a 1 person guy. I have enough fun concentrating on 1 person at a time, 2 at the same time seems like a lot of work.

ummm.. i wasn't there was i?

*phew*

just checkin'

[mgs]

ummm.. i wasn't there was i?

*phew*

just checkin'

Geez! O.O I hope not! ;)

[sunshinegirl]

Add flirting to mine.

oh my goodness... i used to be SOO good at flirting but i found out yesterday that i'm not NEAR as good as i used to be...which is a good thing since i'm married.

i was pumping gas in my car and some dude on a motorcycle said: "it should be illegal to be that cute" and i said "who are you talking to?" he said: "you"
i blushed and giggled obviously and said "um okay, thanks" i turned to get in the car and he said "hot bod, too". i said "hehe thanks" i'm SUCH a doofus!

[sunshinegirl]

Erm....glad your life jackets are real. Would suck if they weren't....

If you needed them, and they were fake, would probably add to your fear of water.

i couldn't afford fakies if i wanted them.

[TomStillwell]

I'd like to leave my job for one that I enjoy.

Unfortunately being a family man I'm afraid to leave a stable decently paying job for an uncertain future.

If I was by myself there wouldn't be any fear in making the choice.

[Pink Bat Max]

scary!

i've been around water my whole life (beaches/pools, etc. took swimming class in high school) so i don't have a fear of swimming. i LOVE the water. i lOVE the beach.. i just canNOT get in past my knees at the beach...and parasailing--eek! it's SOO frustrating because i'd love the rush. i should do it just to torture myself.

Yeah... it was in a swimming pool. I still have vivid memories of seeing the surface of the water pulling out of reach, the distortion of sunlight and sky through water, trying to 'climb up' through the water, and trying to breathe but being unable to pull anything but water into my lungs. Luckily, SOMEONE rescued me. All I remember is it wasn't my dad, and I kinda felt like it shoulda been. Much of my childhood is a blur, but that moment is as clear as if it just had happened. So, everytime I get in water to where I can't feel ground beneath me, I flip out, into instant and utter panic, and no amount of flotation devices or anything stops the blind panic.

[Gilda Dent]

SOoooooo very much true for me too. Which, you know, is okay because swimming is terrifying anyway. But I can't really even enjoy the beach. I'd like to do that, at least. =p

I thought this, too, until just recently. As a therapeutic exercise, I went to the beach with the family, I just didn't wear a suit, sticking with shorts and a tank top instead. I figure once I've done this a few times, it'll be a bit less scary and I can actually wear a suit.

[Karl J Barnes]

Eat a salad.

Hey! Let's don't get crazy!!Eat A Salad. Crazy talk! Just Crazeeeee!

Serious note: Show people my writings and not be afraid to say what's on my mind.

[Pink Bat Max]

I thought this, too, until just recently. As a therapeutic exercise, I went to the beach with the family, I just didn't wear a suit, sticking with shorts and a tank top instead. I figure once I've done this a few times, it'll be a bit less scary and I can actually wear a suit.

Not gonna happen with me. Partly, because I'm just not motivated. Last time I went to the beach was years ago, sitting around a bonfire at night and drinking sake. San Francisco beaches do get chilly, after all.

[Gilda Dent]

Not gonna happen with me. Partly, because I'm just not motivated. Last time I went to the beach was years ago, sitting around a bonfire at night and drinking sake. San Francisco beaches do get chilly, after all.

That's cool. I mostly just want to be able to spend time with my family, and they like going to the beach.

I'd much rather go to an amusement park.

I miss living in California. Three major parks in driving distance, all open year round. And I'd all but kill to live in San Francisco. Living where there's no GLBT community to speak of leaves me feeling a little isolated sometimes.

[Pink Bat Max]

I miss living in California. Three major parks in driving distance, all open year round. And I'd all but kill to live in San Francisco. Living where there's no GLBT community to speak of leaves me feeling a little isolated sometimes.

Well, we'd love to have you! I'll save some cable car seats for you and yours.

I do know how it is to live far and away from any resources.... it's why I've moved out here. But, hey, there's the internet, and it's helping us close the miles, in some ways, huh?

Anyways, always know there's someone here in the bay area who gives a darn about how you're doin'. Even if she is pink and flighty.

[Pink Bat Max]

oh my goodness... i used to be SOO good at flirting but i found out yesterday that i'm not NEAR as good as i used to be...which is a good thing since i'm married.

i was pumping gas in my car and some dude on a motorcycle said: "it should be illegal to be that cute" and i said "who are you talking to?" he said: "you"
i blushed and giggled obviously and said "um okay, thanks" i turned to get in the car and he said "hot bod, too". i said "hehe thanks" i'm SUCH a doofus!

I've never, ever been good at flirting. Partly 'cause I almost never recognize when it's happening TO me, and partly because when I do I freeze up.

It's a wonder I ever dated, let alone settled down. Really.

[Gilda Dent]

Well, we'd love to have you! I'll save some cable car seats for you and yours.

I do know how it is to live far and away from any resources.... it's why I've moved out here. But, hey, there's the internet, and it's helping us close the miles, in some ways, huh?

Anyways, always know there's someone here in the bay area who gives a darn about how you're doin'. Even if she is pink and flighty.

I light pink and flighty!

Emily actually requested a transfer from here to her employer's facilities in the Bay Area, even hinting that she might quit and going into University research if they didn't transfer her.

The offered her a big raise to keep her here, so here we stayed. It's OK most of the time, it just doesn't fit the way California did.

Maybe in a few years.

[Pink Bat Max]

I light pink and flighty!

Emily actually requested a transfer from here to her employer's facilities in the Bay Area, even hinting that she might quit and going into University research if they didn't transfer her.

The offered her a big raise to keep her here, so here we stayed. It's OK most of the time, it just doesn't fit the way California did.

Maybe in a few years.

Maybe! California'll still be here. You know, barring earthquakes and the state crumbling into the ocean (which I STILL don't entirely get, but Gene Hackman's Lax Luthor said it could be engineered, so I accept it as a blind truism. Movies don't lie..... Fox News does.)

Is it Oregon you're in now?

[Gilda Dent]

Maybe! California'll still be here. You know, barring earthquakes and the state crumbling into the ocean (which I STILL don't entirely get, but Gene Hackman's Lax Luthor said it could be engineered, so I accept it as a blind truism. Movies don't lie..... Fox News does.)

Is it Oregon you're in now?

No, I'm . . . elsewhere.

[Pink Bat Max]

No, I'm . . . elsewhere.

All right. Don't mean to pry.

[Gilda Dent]

All right. Don't mean to pry.

Not a problem.

[Alan Lynch]

Just to have more courage telling people I care about how I really feel about them.

And to flirt, or flirt back, in real life. Really, it's pathetic how backwards I am there.
I hear that. I'm fine with small-talk and banter, but really bad at any kind of serious discussion which isn't an argument. And I get really self-conscious around people I fancy; it's quite sad, really.

[sunshinegirl]

I hear that. I'm fine with small-talk and banter, but really bad at any kind of serious discussion which isn't an argument. And I get really self-conscious around people I fancy; it's quite sad, really.

i always thought it was cute when guys would stumble on their words and stuff...although when I did it-- i hated it!

[Alan Lynch]

i always thought it was cute when guys would stumble on their words and stuff...although when I did it-- i hated it!
Girls should make this more obvious. Although then there would be less word stumbling and therefore less cuteness...It's a minefield out there. But if they did make it obvious the stumbling might reach off-putting levels.

Methinks I'm dwelling on this too much.

[Gladiaria_Alata]

Thanks! Although, in fairness, I generally freeze up, turn red, and say 'guh?' anytime I realize someone's flirtin' with me. Which may be amusing in it's own way.


i always thought it was cute when guys would stumble on their words and stuff...although when I did it-- i hated it!

Me too.

On very rare instances that people flirt with me.

Meaning once. :rolleyes:

[Shisho]

Why are you afraid of these?

The singing and bellydancing lessons boil down to me being really shy, and really chicken. It also comes from me sounding like a wounded bassett hound when I sing, and having absolutely no coordination whatsoever.

The purple hair because I can't shake the feeling I'm too old for it, and everyone would just assume I'm going through some sort of not-quite-midlife crisis. And because I'm chicken. :D

[hellokittykat]

I'd like to breathe underwater, but I'm afraid of drowning.

[Pink Bat Max]

I hear that. I'm fine with small-talk and banter, but really bad at any kind of serious discussion which isn't an argument. And I get really self-conscious around people I fancy; it's quite sad, really.

I've let people whom I really love, and who have given me gifts that can never be repaid, move on to other things, without telling really how much they've meant to me, and how much I've grown from knowing them. That strikes me as a kind of cowardice on my part.

[Alan Lynch]

I've let people whom I really love, and who have given me gifts that can never be repaid, move on to other things, without telling really how much they've meant to me, and how much I've grown from knowing them. That strikes me as a kind of cowardice on my part.
I rarely tell people - in all sincerity, becuase random drunken nonsense doesn't count - how much they mean to me. I'm terrified of looking stupid when I do it, which is silly. Sadly, this means that anytime someone tells me similar things I get all awkward. I think it's just self-consciousness, and hope that I don't wind up keeping these things in until it's too late.

[Gilda Dent]

Emily, my mom, Molly, Will, and Reina all get an "I love you" and a hug at least once a day. It's one of those wonderful things that doesn't operate on economic rules. It's free, and it doesn't diminish in value the more it's used, so long as it's used truthfully.

I also tell Molly and Will with some frequency that there is nothing they could do that was so bad it would make me stop loving them. When Reina is old enough, she'll get it, too. And unlike my parents, I actually mean it.

I have problems, lots of them, interacting with people, but telling the people I care most about how I feel about them is easy for me.

[Pink Bat Max]

the irony being my signature:

Coming out to my family as Transgender/gender variant. I keep remembering how well coming out Bi went.

Yeh, I came out as bi too. Which was odd, seeing as I'd never been with a guy or wanted to be to any degree at the time. :confused:

[Gilda Dent]

Yeh, I came out as bi too. Which was odd, seeing as I'd never been with a guy or wanted to be to any degree at the time. :confused:

I just took care of both parts at the same time. It saved me some work.

[Night Swordsman]

Thanks! Although, in fairness, I generally freeze up, turn red, and say 'guh?' anytime I realize someone's flirtin' with me. Which may be amusing in it's own way.

Wow. A female version of ME! :D

We can have a 'guh?'-off.:p

[Night Swordsman]

The singing and bellydancing lessons boil down to me being really shy, and really chicken. It also comes from me sounding like a wounded bassett hound when I sing, and having absolutely no coordination whatsoever.

The purple hair because I can't shake the feeling I'm too old for it, and everyone would just assume I'm going through some sort of not-quite-midlife crisis. And because I'm chicken. :D

I sing worse than you.
I was asked by my school principal and class teacher NOT to sing during the Christmas Choir.

THAT bad. :)

I sang anyway. I'm rebellious.