what's your phobia?

The funny thing is-- I had planned this post for a couple of days now before realizing this was today's topic for the Blog Everyday in May challenge!


Why I am posting about this... I have no idea. I was reading Gone Girl and I came across the words "blood" and "needles." I thought to myself, "Why am I so afraid of these things!!!???"

And then a post arose in my brain. 

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Charlotte's NON-irrational phobias. They all have good reason!

1. Fire

When I was 16, my hair caught on fre. Not me, just my hair. BUT, it was absolutely terrifying. My friend Haley (who did my hair for our wedding) and I always had joint birthday parties because her's is a day before mine. We had a cookout next to my house in the cotton field. Somehow, someone threw a napkin into the bonfire and it rapidly caught on fire, and of course hit ME, the birthday girl on the chest. Stupid me fanned it giving it oxygen, and totally forgot the Stop, Drop, & Roll demand we all learned in what, kindergarten. It didn't really burn my sweater, just my hair. My friend ran over to me and hit me (not hard) until the fire was out. My room smelled like burned hair for a month.

Ever since that, I am so afraid of fire. I mean I guess I was beforehand but dang it is horrifying thinking of burning, especially burning alive. EEK.

2. Drowning

I have been lifeguard certified since I was 15. The first time I got my certification, it was a breeze because there were about 6 of us who got it together and had a ball. We also had an easy teacher who gave us the answers on our written test #score. Come time to renew my certification at age 20 before I was a lifeguard at summer camp, I had the instructor straight from hell. I should have known from the beginning when my name wasn't on the list (I had my registration receipt) on day 1 that this wasn't going to be easy. He was a very large man which also did not help the situation any more. Training was fine, exhausting mentally and physically, twice a week while in college. It also got in the way of my drinking time. When we took our final written and water test, I had to come home from Pawley's Island (6 hours away) back to Spartanburg on my spring break. He FAILED my entire class. Did I mention he was a large guy? He was easily 6'3 (Tyler's height) and weighed at least 250, probably 300 pounds. Have you ever tried putting this kind of person on a stabilizing board in the water? Yeah, not easy. Moobs (he had awful man boobs) failed us all and practically drowned me, the smallest one in the group, a few times. Under water I really thought I was going to drown. Thanks Moobs for this phobia (Leah I hope you are reading this).

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3. Needles

I mean I don't REALLY have a story for this one but I HATE NEEDLES. Seriously, who likes them? 

4. Dentist

I have about a million dentist stories. Lets start from a very young age, maybe 2nd grade? I have a very small mouth (shocking I know) with too many teeth inside. My poor dentist had to pull dozens (ok maybe just a dozen) teeth and fill many, many cavities. He would have to lock me in the room from the outside because I would get up and try to run out. Finally, he told my mom he couldn't work on me anymore and sent me to a pediatric dentist who put me to sleep every time I came in. One time she tried to put me asleep and I refused, staying up to watch The Secret Garden, which now haunts me. They also gave me this nasty "sleepy juice" which my grandmother tricked me into thinking was Sprite. Cha Cha may not be living anymore but I am still so mad at her for tricking me!

Fast forward to 8th grade where I had braces and and an extra tooth that was embedded into my bone. Yes, the bone in the roof of my life #FML. Before the dentist put me to sleep, I screamed and kicked and even kicked him. He asked my mom to please cancel the appointment and reschedule so he could put me under general anesthesia. Oh, and the next day I started my period for the very first time. So this poor oral surgeon got some serious PMS and a dentist scared child. 

Let's move on to my wisdom teeth. I was about to go to college and was 18, and it was 6 weeks before I went to college. Plenty of (supposed) time to get your teeth out and heal. NOT Charlotte. Not only were my nurses super bitchy and I screamed the entire way to the hospital that I'd rather have my legs chopped off than go through this (side note: I still would if I had to re-do this). Everyone thought I was being super dramatic (normal), but I swear I was not. After the surgery I had an infection, four dry sockets, and I went to four different doctors in three locations. It was hell. Finally, the week after my Wofford orientation, I visited my final oral surgeon for disintegrating stitches. I was healed and "normal," though I swear my puffy face has YET to go away. 

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And there you have it. You probably think I am a freak now.

Please share your phobias AND a story if you have one to go along with them! I want to make sure I'm normal :)