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Ten things that scare me

My latest podcast discovery is 10 Things That Scare Me , launched late in 2018 by WNYC Studios. The concept of the podcast is simple: someone – often a celebrity, but sometimes not – shares 10 things they’re afraid of.

My latest podcast discovery is 10 Things That Scare Me, launched late in 2018 by WNYC Studios. The concept of the podcast is simple: someone – often a celebrity, but sometimes not – shares 10 things they’re afraid of. Past guests have included authors Marlon James and John Green, food writer Samin Nosrat, musician Tom Morello and former White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci. The reason I’ve enjoyed the short episodes so much is the podcast faces head-on something usually relegated to the corners of life. Fear is not something that is frequently discussed. I know I try to put on a brave face – I want to appear confident, unshakable. Yet fear is a universal human experience, and our fears also define us. Taking an inventory of my own fears quickly reminds me of my past experiences and shows me where my priorities are. On that note, here’s ten things that scare me: One, the death of my wife. My world would be utterly destroyed if one day I woke up and she was no longer around. Two, losing faith. I’ve been a devout Christian for pretty much my entire life. I’ve also had profound doubts about my faith and my worldview for most of the past decade. Some doubt, I think, is healthy. Regardless of your personal belief system, you must interrogate your own faith – if you don’t poke at your worldview, someone else will. Even so, in many ways, faith is a security blanket for me, and I fear that I might someday reach a tipping point where something knocks that security away from me. Three, aneurysms. I think that would be the worst way to go. Four, Alzheimer’s. I’d hate to see a loved one suffer through that, and I’d hate to suffer through it myself. Five, that we’re causing irreparable harm to our planet. Six, the ocean. I’m not a strong swimmer. When I was 19, I attended a Bible college in New Zealand. While boogie boarding during the Easter break, a friend and I were caught in a riptide that pulled us a distance away from shore and snatched my board away from me. That’s the closest I’ve ever felt to death, and I still struggle with deep water. Seven, The Muppet Christmas Carol. Jacob Marley may be the most terrifying character ever conceived, and his song in this movie creeps me out. I’ve never watched beyond that point. Eight, tornadoes. Nine, that people won’t like me. Ten, imposter syndrome. I live in constant doubt about my abilities, and I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop and have someone reveal me as a fraud. I worry no matter how hard I work, I won’t measure up and people will expose me as incompetent or unintelligent. As host Amy Pearl asks at the end of every episode, what are you scared of?

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