Maybe I'm extra fearful, but ever since I was young, there's always been that Scary Next Thing. The first one I remember is baptism. I just couldn't imagine being at the front of the church where everyone could see me. It would be the first time I'd be in the limelight so to speak in public, and it seemed like something I could never actually do.

When I was twelve, I did it.

Then there was the Next Scary Thing: taking my driver's test. I couldn't imagine getting into a car with a complete stranger and driving a car well enough to suit them. Shucks, the very first time I tried to turn a corner in our big, old van, I almost went in the ditch. It seemed absurd that I would ever actually take the driving test. I thought I would probably literally die before I'd do something like that.

But when I was seventeen, I did it. ...continue reading →