I am very much afraid of heights. Even watching something high up on TV makes me nauseas.

I wasn’t always like this. My father is a pilot and he used to take me on the most amazing trips in his Cessna. He would often let me co-pilot with him, releasing the controls so I could get a feel for it. I really loved that. I’ve been bungie jumping and sky diving. I used to live in Idyllwild, CA where the balcony of the house was pretty much hanging over a cliff.

And then when I was around 22, I was going down a flight of stairs and had a panic attack. I froze at the top of the stairs in fear and it’s been like that ever since.

It has gotten better over time, I can actually go up and down stairs, but I really freak out before flying and going down hills. Escalators send me into panic overdrive. I hate those things.

I can ride a roller coaster, but I usually cry all the way through, including while I am standing in line. I can’t count the number of kids who have told me “it will be ok lady”. Once I ride it and get a feel for it, I can usually go again without the tears. I still freak out though, and kids still tell me it will be ok… I have to ride with my eyes closed though. Some would think that the anticipation of not knowing would scare me, but I actually find it soothing. If I saw a big drop coming, I’d probably have a heart attack.

So, now you know!