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22. Talk about your worst fear.
I’ve been afraid of being stuck in a fire my whole life. When I was a kid, it was really bad. I used to sleep with the most important sentimental things in my bed with me, so I could save them in a fire. I had nightmares about it all the time. When I was five, someone lit my dad’s truck on fire in the driveway, and I remember my mom throwing me and my sister over the fence. Sometimes I go on wikipedia and read about fires to try to like...desensitize myself to them. Let me tell you, to those of you who have read The Knife Thrower’s Daughter, that ending was DEFINITELY tough for me to read!
24. Talk about something someone told you that meant a lot.
This actually happened a few months ago, but it really stands out to me. There was a lot of turmoil in my family in the last year (still is, but that’s a whole different story). I hadn’t spoken to my cousin--who I was extremely close with--in seven months. Finally, I was really having a hard time with my anxiety, and I knew that was part of it, so I asked if I could come over and talk things out. We went and had a long conversation about everything, and he gave me a big hug, and he said “you’re the kind of influence I want in my kids’ lives.” To me, someone saying that they want you to shape who their children are is the most meaningful thing there is.
