Editor’s Notes: Fighting fear with curiosity
Trending
It's the season for ghost stories and haunted attractions, pumpkins, costumes and candy -- and the kind of weather that makes people say "What a gorgeous day!" for a week straight. (Hold on to this in December-February).
It's funny. There are plenty of people ready to escape the actual horrors we see day after day in what-in-the-world news that would have stopped us all in our tracks 15 years ago, but now seem to be almost the norm. Going to a haunted house seems fun in comparison.
Sometimes I wish I was that brave. But I am not.
And while this is my favorite time of year, and I love the costumes and the bats and black cats, I am also a chicken.
Can't watch scary movies. Cried once in a "haunted" attraction. Briefly passed out when a neighbor gave me a jump scare during trick or treat when I was in middle school. You know, normal stuff.
I once -- as a 30-ish, fully functional and independent adult -- had to turn on all the lights in my house and then sit with my back facing a wall while reading a book that not a single other person I talked to experienced as scary in the way I did. ("The Historian," by Elizabeth Kostova -- if you read it and then judge me, all I can say is, again, I am a chicken.)
And yes, I do understand I could have just shut the book and stopped reading. But even I would have been embarrassed if I'd gotten to that point.
Why am I like this? I couldn't tell you.
I can watch "real" ghost-hunting shows and documentaries without flinching. Maybe it's because the tricks in some of them are so obvious. Maybe it's because my imagination is not in full swing when something is presented to me as allegedly non-fiction.
Give me enough gaps to fill in with my imagination and I can convince myself anything is frightening.
Maybe that's why I went into a field where it's my job to ask questions and fill in those gaps so there's no imagination involved and a whole lot less fear. (Being able to see injustices or understand consequences is not the same thing as irrational fear.)
Especially at this time of year, it's easier to seek out and embrace the imaginary fears than to confront the real ones -- for most people.
I guess somewhere along the lines my brain said "We're going to be scared to the point of being paralyzed of the things that AREN'T actual problems ... and let her overthink and look for solutions on the other stuff."
I should probably be grateful for that. I am.
But just once, I'd like to be able to contribute to a conversation about the latest horror movie with more than "Nope!" or enjoy myself at a "haunted" attraction without tears.
It would make my love of this time of year complete. Football, falling leaves, bonfires, fun costume events, Goldilocks weather ... I'm so close.
But I'm ... afraid ... if I've made it this far as a scaredy cat, there may be no turning back.
Christina Myer is executive editor of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. She can be reached via e-mail at cmyer@newsandsentinel.com.