WM Writing Wednesday: Fear

Forgive me, I'm feeling quite proud; Wednesday is a full two hours away and I'm finishing up my WM Writing Wednesday post.

I normally write this blog completely on the fly - no morose moping over painful drafts, no rapid-fire DELETE button fits of pique. Nope, this blog is an off-the-cuff writing experience for me.

But in the hopes that some of you out there aren't as stricken with chronic procrastination as I, I'll not only post this week's topic for WMWW, but next week's as well.

This week's topic: Fear.

And not the writerly-type fears; goodness knows, I've documented my angst-driven writer's fears here. And here. Oh, and let's not forget here.

Nope, this week's WMWW is all about those irrational, oddball fears you have that you know are unfounded products of your own imagination. Whether it's a childhood fear/memory or something you've grown into as an adult, write it out and share it. Mr. Linky awaits!

And, because I just love a good foil, next week's topic: Hope.

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There is something in my kitchen that scares me.

I try to convince myself that Home Depot and Lowes surely would not sell a product that might potentially bring doom upon my household.

It works - sometimes.

May I offer you a glimpse of the demon?

No, there's no nest of vipers or cockroaches or mice beneath that gas range; there is just the gas range.

And that is what scares me.

I've lived in two rental homes with gas ranges, one in college and one in our Navy years. Both times I had zero children.

Children change everything.

First, there is the ever-present mommying fear that something BAD will happen, something very-very-very-BAD.

Then there are the children themselves. Mischievous. Curious. Intrepid. And massed in a 3:1 ratio against me.

And let us not forget the sheer overpowered state of an average mommyfolk's brain cells. When you are simultaneously checking homework, playing indoor fetch with the newest insane canine, extracting plastic coins from a two-year-old's pants pocket, loudly instructing the dirt-loving middle child to please, please slide his shoes off before dashing madly to the potty, and...and, stirring the beginnings of dinner on the back burner, anything can happen.

Anything.

But today, I decided it was time to face this fear. I did what have not done for a year (I cannot believe I am admitting this uber-yucky fact): I cleaned my oven.

On the CLEAN cycle. The super-hot-burn-the-gunk-to-ashes cycle.

My home is still in one piece.

My fear?

Well...I still have to wipe the inside clean. I'm mustering the courage even as I type this.

~~Want to join in the WMWW fun? Post at your blog about your oddest fears, be they mommy-based or otherwise, then come back and drop your permalink in the Mr. Linky below.