Nothing To Fear

I have a lot of little fears, not the least of which have been detailed here in this blog. Judging from the list I was able to generate, one might suspect that I am full of fear. Like that one about becoming especially thin and sliding through a grate in the sidewalk. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.
Still, there are plenty of us walking around who are just bundles of insecurity, waiting for the thing that will set that mass free and turn them on ourselves. That's why I avoid Fox News, actually most news, until I am in a quiet state of mind. I don't want to set off any waves of anxiety just before I sit down to dinner or close my eyes to try and go to sleep. Underwear bombs. Sharks. Losing your home. I have flinched at all these suggestions, but if you happen to be part of the sixty-six percent of those surveyed who listed being without their cellular telephone as their biggest fear, I can't relate. As of this writing, I have not turned my cell phone on for almost two months. The last time was to check and see if the battery was charged. It's not as if I want to be out of touch, but I do enjoy having moments throughout the day when I am unavailable. Feel free to imagine what those might be, but don't spend too long.
I remember the days when, even if it was a made up fact, people's biggest fear was public speaking. I couldn't fully relate to this phobia, but at least I could understand it. Standing up in front of a group of strangers and talking about something for more than a few seconds seems like a grand challenge compared to being without your electronic means of talking for a few seconds to one person at a time. That may have been the impetus behind Tom Hanks' screenplay for "Larry Crowne." In this film, Tom stars as a divorcee who finds himself laid off because he never went to college. He finds his salvation in a public speaking class taught by a grouchy Julia Roberts. In the end, Larry (Tom) comes to terms with his new reality and gets to date his teacher. A nice resolution to all those concerns, but my deeper fear is being asked to watch that movie again. Brrrr.