Are you chicken? Whenever my childhood friends and I wanted to talk our buddy Tommy into doing something, we would simply call him chicken. He would yell back, “I’m not chicken!” and would then proceed to do whatever it was we were trying to talk him into. I wish managing adults was that simple.
Meanwhile, we are all seemingly chicken, at least to some degree.
Musician Jim Stafford sang “I don’t like spiders and snakes” in 1974. Who does?
Green Day vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong said he wrote the song “Basket Case” in 1994 to cope with his feelings of anxiety and panic.
And heavy metal rockers Metallica made us fear falling asleep with their 1991 hit, “Enter Sandman.”
But phobias aren’t just fodder for songs. Most all of us, if we are being honest, have something that makes us shiver in our boots.
As a child, I didn’t like going into old, unfinished basements by myself. I was especially fearful of my grandparents’ “root cellar.”
There was no way I was going down there alone, at least not until my brother discovered this fear and pushed me down the steps.
My aunt and uncle had a painting of a clown in their house that gave me the creeps. This was long before the movie “It” ever hit the screen. I still don’t like clowns, other than Bozo. He is alright.
I don’t mind spiders and snakes, but I could do without mice. The phrase “shivering in your boots” reminds me of working on farms as a teenager and having mice run up my legs when I put my rubber boots on.
Like many of you, I would get the jitters before a sporting competition. “Butterflies in your stomach,” they were often called. The more I competed, the less those butterflies fluttered, but they were always there. Still are.
To this day, I don’t especially like heights. It is not so much a fear as it is a stomach ache. Either way, it’s not pleasant. I love roller coasters, but a Ferris wheel ride makes me nauseous. I don’t get it.
In the April issues of our Iowa Living magazines, which will be posted online throughout the month, we share the stories of local residents, their fears and how they are dealing with them. Some may seem far-fetched while others might strike a chord with you.
Give them a read… unless you are chicken.
Have a marvelous Monday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com | 
