Assignment 11- Ben Schaeffer

As most people know life isn't all sunshine. There is a surplus of threats in the real world that strike fear in a lot of people. I for one have multiple fears that scare me quite a bit. Id rather not get into fears of not being a success or not achieving my dreams, so I'll focus on physical fears. Nothing takes the title as "Ben Schaeffer's" biggest fear, so drawing sticks from my internal hat, I shall talk about heights. This fear doesn't really factor into my daily life and only kicks in at specific places: national parks. Something about being on the side of a mountain or cliff looking down mortifies me. I thoroughly enjoy hiking and being in nature, but when the trail leads straight to a dead drop off, all I can think about is falling to my death or the wild animals that live below. In one instance from recent memory, while standing on the top of the Grand Canyon, looking down into the mile abyss, I remember feeling a strong wave of vertigo, as the air around me appeared to constantly shift. This is all easily avoided, just observe from a distance. Maybe one day I'll cliff jump and conquer this maybe somewhat irrational fear once and for all.