Lost

One of the biggest fears I struggle with is being lost. It started back when I was probably 8-years-old and I went to the San Diego Zoo with my family. My parents, burdened with my two little brothers and their strollers, diaper bags, and other accessories that seem to come with an infant and a toddler, gave permission for my older brother and me to go through the bird exhibit by ourselves. They thought this was a pretty safe choice, the bird exhibit was one big circle, with the entrance and exit door side by side. Well, me being me, I managed to the one exit on the opposite side of the exhibit. I ran out the door, flushed with excitement, only to not find my family. I was scared, but decided to look around for them just in case. I wandered around that section of the park, until finally coming across a school field trip group. I went up to the lady directing the tour (I could tell she worked for the zoo because of her safari outfit) and said pitifully, "I'm lost."

As you can surmise by the fact that I'm here writing this, the lady was not a cleverly disguised kidnapper, so she took me to the security office where I struggled to remember my mom's real name ("Her name is Mom, no, Karen, um ...). The zoo blasted my mom's name over the loudspeaker, telling her to fetch her wayward child.

Even though everything turned out all right, I still have real fear of being lost. Even when I'm in my car, if I'm in an unfamiliar section of town, I start feeling anxious. This is really difficult when you move to a new city, because every section of town is unfamiliar.

With my job as a real estate agent, I'm forced to go somewhere new every day, something I used to hate, but actually turned out to be a blessing. After living here for 11 months, I know how to get around Quincy, no problem. I know main routes, back roads, and short cuts.

I guess most of life is about facing fears, but it's a long process, and I don't know if I'll ever truly conquer it. I got an invitation to an event in Boston from my friend Taylor, and the first thing I wanted to know is if we would travel together. There ain't no way I'm risking walking through Boston on my own! But I guess the important thing isn't exorcising the fear, but being willing to face it so you can move on with life.