My Biggest Fear

There are a few things that scare the bejesus out of me... spiders, flying cockroaches, horror movies, myself in the mirror at 7:00 am. But my biggest fear is of settling and taking the easy way out. It's something I've struggled against since college and discovered I wanted to be a writer which, let's face is, is not exactly the most secure way of making a living unless you're Danielle Steel or James Patterson (the male version of Danielle Steel). Sometimes having a dream that few other people understand can be really discouraging not to mention lonely, and the temptation is always there to give up or give in. I know people in my life who have done just that. There's a guy I used to admire who was a dreamer. He talked about the Peace Corps. Of going to grad school and being a teacher. Of getting into the music industry. Instead he's an accountant which, don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking if that's your dream, but it was never his. This guy is also in a relationship that's "okay" where "things are fine" and he's "comfortable." What about being madly, crazy in love where you can't imagine your life without this person and want to spend the next 60 years by her side? He's only 27, and he's already settled into a life that he never really wanted for himself. I look at him and feel sad. Because that guy is a midlife crisis just waiting to happen and because he's never had the guts to tell people what he really wants. Dreams don't always come true, but they definitely don't happen if you never even try.