Day 1: Name three fears and explain how they became fears

Three fears... Three fears... Ok. Well, in no particular order, here they are.

1. Darkness: As a child, I was afraid of the dark. And even now, I'm still afraid. I'm not really sure what caused the fear but I will say (and this could make me sound crazy but, oh well) that it's not actual darkness I'm afraid of. I think I suffer from a mild form of paranoia that makes me worry that something more lurks in the darkness. You know, like the boogie man. You're probably saying to yourself, that's stupid, but I've watched enough 20/20 and Dateline to know, there is darkness in everyone.

2. Public speaking: As talkative as I am among family and friends, there is one thing I cannot do, address a large group of people (especially strangers). I stutter and trip over my words when I'm nervous so I worry about being judged or made fun of. When I was in junior high school, I had to give a presentation in front of my English class. The teacher recorded the presentations. When it was my turn, I was so nervous that I literally could not get myself to speak. I walked out of class and took an F on the presentation.

3. Death of a loved one:  I think it's a basic human fear that requires little explanation. No matter how prepared you are, losing someone you love is devastating. That's really all I care to say about that.