Tell Me Tuesdays, Chapter 3

Does anyone know Greek? If you do, then you will most certainly be able to figure out what my Tell Me Tuesdays topic is for today. Here we go:


I suffer from gephyrophobia. I haven't always been this way, but I am DEF-IN-ITE-LY and POS-I-TIVE-LY a gephyrophobe today.


Give up?


Okay, quite simply, I am afraid (as in, break out in sweats, clench my teeth, want to cry afraid) of bridges. Yup, bridges. The over the water ones. Sounds corny doesn't it?


What's really weird about this fear of mine is that growing up, I lived not even 5 minutes from this bridge and we traveled over it hundreds of times to get to the good ole' beach at the Jersey Shore that we lived so close to. And you kow what? I don't ever recall being afraid of this bridge as a child or even when I finally got my driver's license and had to personally drive over this concrete structure myself.


I can't pinpoint when my fear of bridges started, but believe me... I have a terrible fear of them now. In fact, if I can avoid a bridge, I will, even if it means me finding an alternate route. When I can't do that and someone else is driving, I close my eyes and hum a tune until I know we are across to the other side.

I know that my fear is completely irrational, but it causes me horrible anxiety and panic pangs nonetheless.


I guess if I really analyze this phobia of mine, I think my fear of bridges may also have something to do with the fact that I am also afraid of heights (which I KNOW stems from my cheerleading days and the time I was the top girl on a 4-person high pyramid and the bottom gave out sending me crashing to the gym floor fracturing my ankle in the process).


Hmmm, let me see, bridges over water = high up off the ground = Tracey getting injured. I think I am beginning to see a corelation here...LOL!


What about you? Is there anything you are afraid of or were afraid of, but now you're not? It's Tell Me Tuesdays, so let me know.