Phobia ...

We all have them. Those things that leave us frozen with terror. There are so many different types of phobias that it would be hard to cover each and every one. Of course you know all of the common ones.

• Arachnophobia - an abnormal or irrational fear of spiders
• Acrophobia - a pathological fear of heights
• Agoraphobia - an abnormal fear of being in crowds

(Isn't that funny. All of the 'common' phobias I happened to pick, all start with the letter 'A'. Interesting.)

There's even a website, that lists ALL of the phobias, by letter. Check out Phobia List and see if you suffer from any of them. Some of them surprised me. 

I want to talk specifically about the phobias that might seem .. for lack of a better word .. stupid to some people, but for those that suffer from it, it's more than very real. Example, I used to have a friend that had a fear of cotton balls. I had another friend who would freak out, if you touched her elbows. They were points of laughter for those of us that weren't suffering, but for those that were, they were very real, and very much a trigger for supreme anxiety. 

I'm going to put myself on blast here, and call out a phobia that I suffer from. I know my brother suffers from the same phobia, though our reasons are much different. Brace yourself for this one. It's not pretty.

Public pooping. That's right. I have an irrational fear of 'dropping the kids off at the pool' anywhere but in the comfort and privacy of my own home. I don't know exactly why, and I've never really talk to anyone about it, but it's a very real fear, and it makes me suffer. Trust me.

Don't misread what I'm saying. I'm not saying that I've never had the urge, or the need to 'take the browns to the super bowl' when I'm in public, I'm just saying that I've never done it.

I think it goes back to my childhood honestly. I can remember going into public bathrooms with my mother. If she had to go, she had to go. It didn't matter where we were, or who else might be in the room. I know a lot of people that are like that, but I'm not. I can remember the sounds, the reactions, and of course the smells. I think all of those things combined, scarred me. For life. They've made me afraid to 'go see a man about a horse'.

I know it's silly, and doesn't make sense to most people, but it's my life people. Sometimes people will ask me how I can NOT 'fertalize the ferns' if it's something that I have to do. I don't know how to answer that question. Honestly. I don't know how I can fight the urge, or suppress the need, but when I have to, I have to.

I realize that this is a sensitive subject, and one that likely should be kept personal, and I've just brought you all into my personal space. You're welcome.

Without passing judgement on my irrational fear, I want to know ...

Do you suffer from the same irrational fear that I do?
If not, do you suffer from a different irrational fear that others might find silly?     

I'm interested to hear your thoughts ..

Until Next Time ...