The Question of the Month is hosted by Michael G D'Agostino from A Life Examined. The first Monday of each month I'll be answering a question posed by Michael prior to event day. Click on the link to his blog for more participants.
Here is this month's question:
"What are three things that you'd do tomorrow if you weren't blocked by fear?"
This is a tough question for me. There are many things I might consider doing if I had the finances to do them. Fear can come in many forms as well so maybe I would need to define what fear is for me. Then of course I would have to consider my current physical state. There are some daring things that might be exciting to consider but could I do them? I doubt whether you'll find me climbing a mountain no matter if I could afford it or not.
In the final analysis it would not be so much fear that might hold me back from doing certain things as it would be a certain lack of boldness and initiative. Also how would my doing certain things affect my home and family life? Taking steps toward doing one thing often entails sacrificing certain other things in life that can impact how I live my life now.
So what would I do tomorrow if I weren't particularly blocked by my concern over the possible outcome? Here's my three:
1) Skydiving is an idea that thrills me, but I'd have to overcome some fears to do it.
2) Some kind of underwater activity like scuba diving sounds exciting, but I have a fear of large bodies of water or places where I could possibly drown.
3} I'd like to be on top of a mountain but getting there seems somewhat frightening to me. But yeah, I'd like to make it to the top of a mountain which could entail climbing. It's something that's unlikely to happen.
What does fear prevent you from doing?
Battle of the Bands Results
The Battle this round was between Sia and Jimmy Little with their renditions of "Under the Milky Way". Maybe I need to get in the horse race business because this Battle was another close one.
My vote for Jimmy Little never wavered though I thought Sia offered a formidable threat with her spacey trippy version of the song. I did like what Sia did with this song, but the lure of the cool jazz, the horn riffs, and the female background singer in Little's version won me over the most as it did many of you.
Final Vote Tally:
Sia 16 votes
Jimmy Little 18 votes
Another Battle comes up on Wednesday July 15th. For the next one I'm going to stay with a space theme using a song that first debuted in 1940 and then made its biggest splash on the charts eleven years later. A ton of artists have recorded this song over the years which gave me plenty to choose from in order to stage a good battle.
Any guess as to my next song choice?
Some great things to do if fear didn't get in the way.
ReplyDeleteAlso pleased that Jimmy won the vote.
Have a good week.
Yvonne.
Yvonne, fear probably keeps me at home a lot.
DeleteLee
Well I have the fear of never having enough money to do anything or pay off our debts so if I wasn't afraid of that, I'd travel all over Canada & USA.
ReplyDeleteJoJo, money is something that can help us do more, but sometimes it's also our prison master
DeleteLee
Close battle.
ReplyDeleteFunny, Susan's first two answers are the same as yours. You can both go skydive in my place.
Alex, my choices might be the same as many people since they were kind of obvious ones. You're unlikely to find me skydiving anytime soon.
DeleteLee
Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane....
DeleteA very good Question.... should get some very interesting replies....
I've considered in the past when asked about if I had to be executed and pick my own way to go it would be to be dropped out of an airplane. It seems like an exciting final thrill.
DeleteLee
it does at that....
DeleteHope that you are well good Sir.... and the "Question" made us "Think" a bit much today.... really Good question, though.....
I'll pass on the sky diving. Maybe there's a safe sky diving simulator I can do,
ReplyDeleteStephen, maybe I'll dream about it. That's enough simulator for me.
DeleteLee
Hi, Lee! The outcome of your band battle surprises me. I predicted a substantial victory for Sia. It seems like my taste in music differs from yours on many occasions, good buddy, but that's something to celebrate, not regret. Congratulations on staging a very close race.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated your answers to this month's question. I suppose my answer is typical. I fear spending time and money on a pursuit that is doomed to fail or will not yield the desired result. Fear of failure. That's it.
I hope you are enjoying your travels, Lee. Take care!
Shady, I thought this might be a close Battle as Sia has the greater name recognition, but I knew a lot of voters would prefer the jazzier cool of Jimmy Little. I'm not overly surprised by the outcome.
DeleteLee
Ya know, I don't know what I would do. I tried to think of something, but gave up. I've hiked to the top of Mt.Whitney. And I've gone shore scuba diving - deep sea, no. And a fat no and never to skydiving! :)
ReplyDeleteHR, I doubt whether I'll ever skydive but it seems exciting. I'd probably break my legs or something if I survived.
DeleteLee
Skydiving terrifies me. My fiance wants to do it but there's just no way. I'm too scared to let him do it, too.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I'm sure there are a lot of safety precautions taken in skydiving. I'm sure fewer people die from skydiving accidents than other things we do every day.
DeleteLee
Hey, two of our fears matched. What does that mean?
ReplyDeleteSusan Says
Susan GK, I guess we picked some fears that are common to many. I started to go with something more complex, but what I went with was simple.
DeleteLee
I went hiking at Bamff/Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies a few years ago and there was a portion of the trail that was about 6 inches wide with a long, long drop off. Man, my vertigo went into high gear and I was really afraid I might not make it. And that wasn't much of a "mountain". Luckily the trail on the way down had trees on both side and I was fine again.
ReplyDeleteTamara, I'm not too good with heights either. At least you did have a trail. I wouldn't want to be dealing with ropes and looking for hand and foot holds. I'd rather just walk up.
DeleteLee
I'd like to try scuba diving one day. Not afraid of water, but I've never been out too far in the ocean. Not sure how I'd feel out there.
ReplyDeleteToinette, far out in the ocean would probably be a thrill, but I wouldn't feel too good about being there.
DeleteLee
Scuba diving would be cool...if I was a better swimmer and didn't think I'd drown. lol And I could never skydive. NEVER!
ReplyDeleteChrys, I'm a lousy swimmer, but as long as I could breathe I'd be kind of okay in the water, but afraid.
DeleteLee
Fear of Failure..... that is one of our really Big ones.....
ReplyDelete.... the Fear that does prevent me (Stacey) from doing much ... (along with being stuck in a small southern town living in poverty with No transportation) would be our irrational fear of People.....
... Health not so good ( terminal) and severe nervous disorder.... and our Social-phobia really makes being around many people at one time can cause the onset of a nasty "panic attack"....
... We got over all of our other "Fears and Phobias" a good while back.... If there was a creature that we were afraid of we turned that fear to "hatred" and kill these things whenever they get near me... ( cannot do that with People, though)... and Fear of Heights..... that one lead to me eventually falling off of a railraod bridge ( a bit over 50 feet up... bad landing).... Looking "down" is a "mistake".......
you are great at listing some really good "Questions"... ones that really make a person "think".... and we are sure that many will ask themselves ... and their answers will by widely varied...
Stacey, fear of failure is a huge one and in some ways all other fears are rooted in that one.
DeleteLee
Skydiving was something that popped into my mind too.
ReplyDeletePatricia, I'd figure that a lot of people would say "sky diving".
DeleteLee
Wow! That Battle ended a lot closer than I expected, because the last time I looked, Jimmy was way out in front!
ReplyDelete~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'
STMcC, I thought Sia might take it because of her greater popularity so the outcome wasn't too surprising. I just didn't know which artist would come out ahead.
DeleteLee
"Fear is the mind killer."
ReplyDeleteAndrew, or the fearful mind can come up with all sorts of elaborate reasons for not doing something and in that case fear might be called the mind stimulator.
DeleteLee
"Fear" is also a big part of the "Rush" that you would feel in doing so....
DeleteI am like you in the fact that money and time limit me more than fear--if those weren't obstacles, I'd be sailing the world right now. However, I've climbed many a mountain, tramped around the USA and world and have done just about everything but skydive or own a motorcycle (the first out of fear of failure and the second out of a fear of disappointing my mother--there had to be one thing she forbid that I didn't do and buying a motorcycle is it.
ReplyDeleteSage, finances definitely puts constraints on what we can do in life and how our actions affect others is another big factor to take into consideration.
DeleteLee
I'm glad I don't put money on BOTB. I never pick the winners!
ReplyDeleteCW, I think this one was a difficult one to predict. With my usual voters it could have gone either way.
DeleteLee
I'm like JoJo, the fear of having insufficient money to pay for everything now. Otherwise I would be globe trotting.
ReplyDeleteJo, as I enter retirement I'm facing that possibility of running out of money and not being able to afford to travel or do many other things now.
DeleteLee
Oh absolutely no skydiving for me - I don't even care for roller coasters! I think I'd like to one day sail from Miami to the Sea of Cortez but regrettably, I suffer with seasickness. Oh, and I'm afraid the boat would sink! Really don't like to swim with critters :-)
ReplyDeleteDiedre, what's under the water can be disconcerting to think about.
DeleteLee
You may have seen I've done skydiving. I of course had those same fears, but it feels great once you go through with it :)
ReplyDeleteMichael. getting done with it does seem like the best feeling part. Once you've started the jump there's no changing of mind. Once you've made it safely to the ground you've got bragging rights.
DeleteLee
You are all a wonderful "discussion group'... we often drop in to read your many comments here... some "topics' really "get to us"... so we read even more....
ReplyDeleteDr. Theda, glad to have you here.
DeleteLee
I have a great friend who lives in BC and he is going to skydive this month! He has bungee jumped and went on one of those hand gliders which he said was great but scary since the air drafts can send you up fast or down fast. He has climbed a mountain and he has scuba dived but prefers snorkeling. He is one risk taker for sure and wonderful to listen to his true stories. I think it is not just fear but responsibility and practicality that keeps me from doing things like living in Europe-actually Austria. I love the mountains even though I am phobic about heights. I would love to go back to school and take art history or tourism but I still get hives about school:) One never knows though...never say never
ReplyDeleteBirgit, school can get expensive unless you take free or very cheap classes. You might gain as much or more knowledge just doing the curriculum on your own.
DeleteLee
Nice job on putting on such a close race! Re: fears: I would love to water ski but am terrified I'd fall in shark infested waters. I just watched a show the other day about people surviving shark attacks. There have been an alarming number of shark attacks on the coast of N Carolina where my parents live. These sharks are coming up into waist-deep water! So even going into the ocean anymore is fearful for me. Skydiving: No way! I'd kill myself. Mountain climbing? Not a chance, don't even have a desire. I'd like to get to the top of a mountain by way of helicopter... :)
ReplyDeleteMichele at Angels Bark
Michele, these days even if there were a trail to the top of the mountain that might be too much strenuous walking for me. The helicopter might be nice as long as it didn't crash.
DeleteLee
I love swimming, though I'm not very strong at it, and honestly if I had to choose a way to go (that wasn't peaceful) I'd probably pick drowning. The lack of oxygen to the brain would make me hallucinate, so there's that. But anyway!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to go scuba diving, but there's nowhere around here worth going underwater to see. I also put skydiving :) And climbing a mountain sounds awesome, though I'm unsure if I'd make it!
Madilyn, not being able to breathe sounds terrifying to me, but I guess it would all be over relatively fast. Drowning is something I do fear.
DeleteLee
It is terrifying, but if I could chose a way to go. Haha... Though someone mentioned on my blog with skydiving you'll go splat and typically that's a quick way to go.
DeleteMadilyn, yeah, I'm more of a splat kind of guy than struggling to breathe person.
DeleteLee
Looks like you had a great battle - I wondered if Jimmy would pull it off.
ReplyDeleteI would love to sky drive too!
Dixie, I sensed that Jimmy Little would be the more popular among many of my readers, but the race stayed close from beginning to end.
DeleteLee
I thought Jimmy Little would be the runaway hit; wasn't familiar with him before your post but WOW! Loved it.
ReplyDeleteCherdo, Sia has the name recognition and fan base, but I figured Jimmy Little win take this match-up.
DeleteLee
That battle was closer than I thought it would be. Hurray for Jimmy! ☺
ReplyDeleteLike you, it's not fear that's keeping me from doing things. Financial and age constraints are the main factors, otherwise I'd be back in Greece, exploring more mountain-top ruins or visiting the pyramids in Egypt. (Well, given the state both of those countries are in right now I guess fear is a bit of a deterrent as well.) Never had the desire to do anything physically dangerous.
Debbie, adventure can be expensive.
DeleteLee
Nice close BATTLE. I admit it surprised me. I expected that Jimmy Little would run off with the thing. In my opinion he was so much better. Just goes to show what I know.
ReplyDeleteFAE, I thought Sia was pretty good so I can see how the less jazz inclined ears would gravitate toward her style.
DeleteLee
I think I'd quit my job and focus on writing. But I don't want my family to struggle financial strife. Fear doesn't really hold me back from other places in my life though. I just want to be a good provider for my family.
ReplyDeleteLoni, I don't have a job to worry about, but I really should focus on other writing besides blogs.
DeleteLee
Well, I didn't pick a winner this time. I guess there is always the next battle.
ReplyDeleteJeffrey, the way I see it all of my picks are winners so you did pick a winner.
DeleteLee
Three things I would do if I were not afraid? What does fear keep me from doing?
ReplyDelete1) Live as if there were no God.
2) Abandon common sense
3) tell my wife what I really think about her meatloaf
Gregg, Thankfully fear keeps us in check and helps us to avoid making a lot of really dumb decisions.
DeleteLee
The two highest mountains in So. Calif are easy to climb and not that far away. San Gorgonio (Grayback) can be reached from Jenks Lake by an easy trail, and San Jacinto is only 1500' higher than the top of the Palm Springs tramway. However, it's a steeper trail. I climbed Grayback as a boy scout, and there was nothing to fear. The problem was that I had to wait for the inconsiderate idiots ahead of me who didn't want to cut short their viewing time; then, at the top, I had to put up with the idiots below who wanted ME to cut short MY viewing time.
ReplyDeleteJack, I've done a few hikes to tops of mountains though I'm not sure I'd even try those anymore unless I really took my time. Rarely did I have those problems with overcrowded trails though I can see it happening in California. It's kind of nice to have a trail to oneself.
DeleteLee
The trail to Grayback was not crowded - not that many people want to climb to 11,000'. However, at that long ago time, there was a sign, just short of the top, that peak time was limited, and I imagine that's still the case. My remark was facetious. I was impatient, waiting for the crowd ahead to vacate the peak so that we could go up. However, when we stood there and scanned that magnificent view - all of So. Calif. from the ocean to the Mexican border - we were just as averse to leaving it as our predecessors had been.
DeleteI'm almost fearful to admit what I'm afraid of doing. Geesh! But one thing is definitely ziplining. It's something that I'd like to cross off my list, and soon.
ReplyDeleteQuanie, ziplining sounds fun, but it also seems kind of scary.
DeleteLee
Ohmygosh, Lee. I'd try the 3 things you had listed...if I ever had the nerve. I've hiked up mountains, but I've never mountain-climbed. I don't trust my upper body strength. Oh and I have a fear of drowning, too. Thanks for sharing these with your readers.
ReplyDeleteVictoria, I've hiked up mountains and that was fun, but hanging from or gripping a sheer faced mountainside is a bit much for me.
DeleteLee
If I weren't motivated by fear, I'd probably do tame things, like jump into the deep end of a pool, ride a motorcycle or unicycle, and buy a pet snake. I'm fine with swimming out of or through deep water, but I don't swim into it (I hold onto the edge or climb down the ladder), and certainly never jump into the pool. I'm able to ride a bicycle, but I'm not sure it'd be a wise idea to try a unicycle or motorcycle because of the risk of banging the metal in my right leg. I love snakes, but my reticence at making one a pet is my squeamishness at having to keep pre-killed rodents in the freezer, unthawing them, and dangling them into the tank.
ReplyDeleteCarrie-Anne, actually I got my kids a pet snake when they were young. We bought a live mouse once a month to put in the snakes cage and would watch nature at work.
DeleteMy youngest brother used to have a unicycle. I tried riding it but never got very far on it.
Lee