It's kind of a running joke between Colby and me--how he's a daring, adventury type and I'm the scared little mouse, keeping back from cliff edges, paralyzed by fear at great heights, terrified of pretty much anything and everything.
I've tried to explain to him that the rest of the human population seems to have a "yeah, but it won't happen to me" mindset, whereas my take on things is more along the lines of "terrible things have to happen to someone, why wouldn't it be me?" So while most people seem to live life with a sanity preserving expectation of near immortality, I'm pretty much expecting death and destruction at every turn.
And my cautious nature has kept me pretty safe throughout most of my life. My most extreme injuries have been a broken foot, a sprained wrist, and a twisted ankle. I credit a healthy dose of fear with getting me to the ripe old age of 28, and I'm hoping that prescription lasts well into my old age.
Every now and then I think how wonderful it would be to be more of a daredevil--to push through the fear and do the things that scare me so much. Go bungee jumping, climb all the way to the top of a rock wall, ski fearlessly down the black diamond course. To not have my heart in my throat every time Colby wants to peer over the edge of a mountain or disappear into the wilderness for days of hiking. I can't imagine what a mess I'm going to be when I have kids. I don't even like it when my dogs are off leash at the dog park--what if a dog attacks them, or they drown in the lake, or a snake bites them, or, or, or...
But then I hear about a jumper whose parachute didn't open, an experienced bicyclist wearing all of his protective gear who is hit by a utility van and ejected over the edge of a 30 foot high bridge, a baseball fan reaching for a foul ball and plumetting 20 feet to his death. None of those people woke up in the morning thinking that it would be their last, they just thought how amazing it would be to feel the wind in their face, their muscles working, to see their favorite team play a good game.
And then I'm right back where I started, Colby teasing me about my wariness (I prefer to think of it as wisdom or mindfulness... or self-preservation), and me thinking "Bad things happen to people, and I'm a people. Coincidence? I think not."
I am the exact same way, right down to letting our dogs off-leash at the dog park. I try to think of it as more "self-aware" because I realize how many bad things can happen. I know that the best way to live is a balance between "daredevil" and "safe-side-Sally" but it's hard for me to push out of my comfort zone with potentially dangerous things.
Posted by: Abby | July 08, 2011 at 03:36 PM
Oh I'm a huge scaredy-cat. I even have you beat in injuries...I think my worst has been a dislocated shoulder and a broken toe.
Posted by: A Super Girl | July 08, 2011 at 05:41 PM
I used to call my mother the Queen of Fear, but unfortunately, I inherited (or learned?) all of those tendencies. I wish I could be just a leetle braver because sometimes I really annoy myself!
Posted by: Mowenackie | July 08, 2011 at 05:47 PM
I am the same way. Almost getting killed in a car accident didn't exactly help. Scotty ski dives, bungee jumps and zip lines, and doesn't think twice. Maybe its a woman-thing. I like to think we're built to protect :)
Posted by: Katie | July 08, 2011 at 08:27 PM
It's scary knowing how many bad things can happen at any given time. It's worse now that I'm a mom. However, I have done one fearless thing in my life. While in Interlaken, Switzerland my friends went canyoning and left me at the hostel since I was too chicken to go. I was talking to another abandoned girl whose friends had left to pursue random "daring" activities and we decided to not be chicken together. At that moment a group was leaving to go paragliding so we went with them. That was THE scariest thing I've ever done in my life. But it was pretty damn cool.
I'm still a scaredy cat. And I'm ok with it.
Posted by: Solange | July 08, 2011 at 09:01 PM
I've made it to 33 years old with not one single broken bone or ER visit for an injury. As you said "a healthy dose of fear" will carry you far! I'm am an "over-cautious" while my husband sounds like Colby - he's broken everything in his body at some point or another, it seems, and shows no signs of slowing down. Now that I'm having his kid (a boy, no less!) I cringe at the thought of all the injuries and possible scares that are in my future. Where's the bubble wrap?
Posted by: Julie | July 08, 2011 at 11:04 PM
So, I'm guessing that you probably agree with the Incubator that my enjoying hurtling along at 500 mph, at 200 feet, in the mountains, at night, in a rain storm was excessively dangerous?
Achieving some level of balance is the challenge. I always thought that focusing on living a healthy, safe, cautious life as dying at the slowest possible rate. There just seemed to be so many things I didn't/don't want to miss trying when the opportunity presented itself.
Posted by: Old Warrior | July 09, 2011 at 03:01 AM
So, I'm guessing that you probably agree with the Incubator that my enjoying hurtling along at 500 mph, at 200 feet, in the mountains, at night, in a rain storm was excessively dangerous?
Achieving some level of balance is the challenge. I always thought that focusing on living a healthy, safe, cautious life as dying at the slowest possible rate. There just seemed to be so many things I didn't/don't want to miss trying when the opportunity presented itself.
Posted by: Old Warrior | July 09, 2011 at 03:11 AM
I am the same way and I call it my overly healthy sense of self-preservation.
Posted by: Jenn | July 09, 2011 at 02:17 PM
This is so funny! The hubby and I are the exact opposite. He's got a healthy dose of caution and I'm the one who rarely looks before she leaps!
We're trying to figure out how to mix and match and find a middle ground. Obviously, we're together for a reason and can learn a ton from one another (not to mention drive one another nuts!!!)
Posted by: Molly | July 10, 2011 at 11:02 PM
Self-aware, yes, I like that!! Also, my dogs are kind of dumb, they really need me looking out for them!
Posted by: Angela Noelle | July 11, 2011 at 04:43 AM
Owww, dislocated shoulder! Yeah, I guess technically I just had a broken toe, but I had to wear the whole big boot thing for ages, so I've upgraded it to broken foot ;)
Posted by: Angela Noelle | July 11, 2011 at 04:44 AM
Haha, I used to make fun of my mom about being a scaredy cat too. Serves me right, I suppose!
Posted by: Angela Noelle | July 11, 2011 at 04:44 AM
Oy, yeah, I think a brush with death would turn me into a hermit! I like your protection theory though--makes us sound less nutty ;)
Posted by: Angela Noelle | July 11, 2011 at 04:45 AM
Woah! That's awesome!
Posted by: Angela Noelle | July 11, 2011 at 04:45 AM
Oh man, if I have boys, I'm just going to have to spend the rest of my life heavily medicated...
Posted by: Angela Noelle | July 11, 2011 at 04:46 AM
Yeah, I like your theory... in theory... But then I start crying when I'm 10 feet off the ground, sooooo... ;)
Posted by: Angela Noelle | July 11, 2011 at 04:46 AM
But look at us! We're still alive! That has to count for something...
Posted by: Angela Noelle | July 11, 2011 at 04:47 AM
Well, you just went and busted the whole Mars and Venus theory I was developing ;)
Posted by: Angela Noelle | July 11, 2011 at 04:47 AM
This was so interesting for me to read right now as I just posted about the opposite of caution - a close friend and I were debating about risk vs. staying safe, and it's an interesting topic indeed! I tend to err more on the side of big giant leaps instead of caution, but he gave me a really interesting scenario that made me think: what if you had a tumor or something, and had 5 years to live, and you had to decide tomorrow if you were going to have surgery that would either give you the rest of your life, or kill you. And you HAD to decide tomorrow. What would you do? It's a really tough question to answer...
Posted by: Emily Jane | July 12, 2011 at 03:56 PM