Paula's Panics

1. Wasps- hate them! Actually I hate any flying ‘thing’ that comes anywhere near my face, but wasps are vicious little beasts. The ‘don’t move and it’ll go away’ is a complete fallacy. I’ve only been stung twice – once was in a dentist’s waiting room (now that’s unfair!) when I felt a sudden sting on my finger and realised a wasp had landed there and attacked me. The other time I was sitting in my garden reading a newspaper when a wasp landed on my arm and immediately stung me. So the ‘don’t move’ advice is a load of rubbish! Wasps are simply evil vindictive little creatures IMO. I blame Noah for taking two of them on his Ark.

2. Losing my walking cane because without it I can’t walk very far (due to arthritis). That’s why I keep THREE canes in my car, just in case.

3. Falling – again this is linked to the arthritis in my hip. My balance is not good because my right leg is about 2 inches shorter than the left, and the prospect of falling strikes real fear into me. It’s the reason I stay indoors if there any snow or ice on the ground.

4. Having no car or not being able to drive – again, because I can’t walk very far. My car is my lifeline; without it, I would lose my independence (and that’s another fear!)

5. Heights – I don’t mind them if I’m in an enclosed area like the top of the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building, but there’s no way I could stand on the edge of a cliff. Even the thought of it makes me shudder and get vertigo. Having said that, I did make it across the Capilano Suspension Bridge near Vancouver. It’s 450 feet long, and 230 feet high across a gorge, and it shakes like mad with everyone walking across it. But I was determined to do it, and I did (both there AND back), even though I was also shaking like mad the whole way.

6. Flying – I must have flown dozens of times, both short-haul and long-haul, but I hate it. Correction, that’s not completely true. I don’t mind the actual flying, it’s the going up and coming down that scares me. One time, back in the 70’s, we’d been circling for ages over an airport in Romania and then, when we were coming in for the final landing, the flight attendant sat down and crossed herself. That did absolutely nothing for my fears!

7. Lorries on motorways – or as you’d say in America, trucks on highways! This stems from an experience about 12 years ago when a lorry coming onto the motorway clipped the back corner of the car, which spun until the whole side of the car hit the front of the lorry. We were then pushed several yards along the road until the lorry stopped. Fortunately the traffic was only moving slowly, otherwise I probably wouldn’t be here to tell the tale. We escaped with no injuries although the side of the car was severely dented! But now, every time I see a lorry coming up a sliproad towards where I’m driving, I can still feel my nerves tightening up.

8. Having no ideas for a new story. Not a problem at the moment, as I have several ideas, but, having gone through that kind of ‘emptiness’ for about 15 years, I know it can happen.