“.....give me enough time to mull something over and I can illuminate the dangers inherent in almost any endeavor or circumstance. It’s a gift.”

I am afraid of almost everything. That said, my fears are not all equal. There are things I am terrified of, and things about which I have just a tinge of angst. But make no mistake, give me enough time to mull something over and I can illuminate the dangers inherent in almost any endeavor or circumstance. It’s a gift.

To be certain there are the universal fears: flying, public speaking, snakes, spiders, homicidal maniacs, earthquakes, fires, tsunamis. My particular gift, however, enables me to take even these fears and insinuate them into circumstances otherwise benign. A trip to the beach - look for escape routes; a delayed flight –prelude to a mechanical catastrophe, walking in the woods – on alert for ax murderers (ok, so cougars as well), and so it goes. I keep these thoughts mostly to myself. Mostly. Those that know me best, however, become skilled at recognizing the distant look in my eyes when my mind is reviewing the sinister hidden just beneath the surface of the everyday. Then they take some action, removing the guide book, closing the airplane window shade, ordering me another cocktail.

Getting up in the morning, best to check all systems before arising because, as we all know, catching cardiac anomalies early is the key to survival. Eating breakfast, for some people expiration dates are suggestions, for me, sacrosanct. Those microscopic bacteria are pesky, deadly boogers. Elevator to the parking garage, enough said. Driving, it’s always “the other guy”. Driving over the bridge, have you seen Earthquake? Attending meetings, sitting is the new smoking. You get the picture.

Now, this affair I seem to be having with fear has not, at least not yet, prevented me from living quite a full and even adventurous life. I travel extensively (so far uneventfully), eat a wide range of cuisines (only once almost dying), participate in multiple sports (never broken a bone) interact with all kinds of people (all reasonably sane), drive a fast car (with only an occasional ticket) so what’s up with the fear factor?

I think it’s a little like my storytelling, which is not limited by adhering to the facts. Much of life is rather mundane truth to be told. We humans spend a great deal of our lives constrained by the patterns of our daily routines. This is a prescription for boredom. The antidote, cultivate just a touch a fear.

If you were blessed with an active imagination, this will be easy. If not, here are some suggestions. An easy one to start with is your health. Familiarize yourself with the symptoms of illness and disease, the rarer the better then start monitoring your own body. Note twitches and tinges. Buy a smart watch and track your heart rate and sleep quality, so much fodder for fear in those numbers! And remember, feeling perfectly fine can be a symptom. Now, imagine that any deviation is cause for alarm. Follow this path to its most dramatic conclusion. Then forget about it, your probably perfectly fine.

A variation on the health fear is to purchase a guide book before a trip and go straight to the “rare illnesses to be found in this place” section. Study them, familiarize yourself with the symptoms and then be on high alert for the appearance of anything close to a warning sign. This particular habit has resulted in being banned by my family and dear friends from buying or surfing this kind of information. The last straw was the whole Dengue fever thing…which I did not have after all. Thank god!

You get the picture. But I warn you, be careful, flirting with fear can result in your head being a very, very scary place.