Scaredy Cat

Don’t be afraid to be afraid.

People can talk shit all they want, but everyone fears something. My fears are way unreasonable and usually out of the realm of possibility, at least that’s what Karen says.

I am afraid of being eaten alive by a wild animal.

I lived a couple years in the mountains in my youth, but now that time won’t be relived. I mean, when I say I was up in the mountains, I was up. Wild animals everywhere, but I was dumbass stoner hippie boy and all the peace-love-dove thing going on. I camped for a couple days with real mountain people and I did not sleep a wink. I politely left to head down to Texas, but never forgot the simple happy life these people led. I still feared I would be disemboweled and eaten for breakfast with hash browns.

Legit.

I have not seen that kind of communal spirit again since.

Today, I am printing my preface for the letter F. It represents the emotion fear and tomorrow I will print the accompanying story for the emotion. The short-short story is titled Amazon.

F

          Fear.

          One of the most powerful emotions we experience. We do this in varying degrees. There are those that run to the fire, and those that run away from it. Some people fear nothing, but I think privately, as complex as the human brain is, somewhere in the mess is a fearful synapse as yet activated. Snakes, bugs? I’ve seen some pretty nasty dudes scream at the sight of a thirsty scorpion.

          Then there are the absolute craziest, meanest, most fearless killers alive, at least I hope they are. I am speaking about the armed forces of the United States, whom I maintain the utmost respect for. In my lifetime I have seen our soldiers idolized, hero-worshipped, and awarded. I have also seen returning soldiers castigated, mocked, and most embarrassing of all, ignored.

          What’s up with that? When the shit comes down, I want fire-breathing, testosterone-fueled maniacs manning the weapons with itchy trigger fingers. We can worry about the politics after the enemy is obliterated. Seems simple enough to me. The real trick is to not have to pick up weapons in the first place. To settle our differences using our God-given intelligence.

          Right.

          Remember all citizens of planet Earth: we are all of us, similar physical beings floating on a rock in outer space. The only thing holding us to the rock is gravity and if this magnetic whatchamacallit just stops, so does the Carnival of Life. The end of the Carnival of Life? What a beautiful way to term death. I neither fear nor welcome it. The only real reason I don’t want to die is because I don’t want to take the chance of ever not seeing my beautiful soulmate Karen again. I’ll need at least another lifetime to repay her.

          At least that’s what she keeps telling me.

          Quit hurting each other.

          Enjoy what time we are given.

          Fear of the unknown is the theme of the next story Amazon which will go live (as all my posts do), at midnight Eastern Standard Time. The second story under this letter is one of the sickest so we’ll just file it under freaky.

You will not be unaffected.

Stay well.

PS: I will post my rendition of the old drinking song from Hank Jr. Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound in tomorrow’s blog as well.