Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

What Are You Afraid Of?

First on the slopes

 

 

Yann has been skiing since he was five years old. The last time I skied was when I was 28. Yann taught Chelsea and Sacha how to ski. Yann says Sacha skis better than he does, and Chelsea, well, she skis better than me.

Yann taught Alice how to ski today.

First things first:

1) Wear ski gear, such as A helmet, gloves, goggles… Luckily for Alice, she fit into Chelsea's ski gear. She didn't need to rent anything, as Chelsea's boots and skis worked. For those of you who know our family, we call our heads: "Buckets" since we have large heads… hence the "Amaro Bucket" is a trait Alice has, too. 

 

2) The hills look steeper when you are on them, the skiers are fast when you are standing still, and the next day, you will discover muscles you never knew you had.

 

 

The first go around on skis

 

Yann gave a few quick tips and headed for the lifts. He believes the only way to learn is to do it without giving too much time for fear to settle in.

At lunchtime, he told me Alice was a natural. I looked at Alice; she rolled her eyes. I asked, "Did you like it?" Her glowing smile answered.

 

 

 

The ski instructor

 

I snapped this photo from the ninth floor. I could imagine how Alice was feeling and hear Yann from years of listening to him… "Great! You are doing fine! Perfect, let's go!"

I am sure he skipped the bunny hill and went straight to the chair lift. Teasing aside, Alice did not have time to be afraid.

 

Skiing for the first time

 

There, the two are heading towards the chair lift.

Sacha skied alone today. He said he felt more cautious than ever when he returned for lunch. He kept recalling the avalanche. "Fear is a good measuring tool," I sighed, "It reminds you of things you hold precious." Sacha added, "There were places I have skied a million times without thought, and today I found myself hesitating and preceding certain areas… the thought of snow covering my head kept coming back." When Sacha came home for lunch, he took a nap, and during that nap, he dreamed of falling on the mountain. 

Sacha's fear factor is finally surfacing; he is wrestling with the demon. I am confident he'll gather what he needs and walk away wiser. 

Alice said she saw the place where Sacha met the Avalanche. She said it was scarier, steeper, more awful in person than in the photo. I knew that to be true.

 

Corey amaro vars

 

The view from where we are.

What are you afraid of?

How do you cope with fear?

When was the last time you were scared?

 

 

Comments

22 responses to “What Are You Afraid Of?”

  1. Bev S.

    I don’t know if I “fear” much. By the way did you know that the commandment most given in the Bible is “Do not be afraid.”
    I worry. That’s what I do. I worry about too many things. It’s not something I’m proud of that’s for sure.

    Reply
  2. Di

    When I learned to ski I had a similar instructor, and it does help. I learned that survival is a stronger instinct in me than fear.
    I had a lot of fears growing up…most notably the fear of the dark. But I find faith in God brings light to a lot of dark places, and that takes away a lot of fear.
    I can relate to Bev, re: worrying. I wonder if it is common to exchange fears for worries as we get older?
    Di

    Reply
  3. Janet with Eiffel

    Heart break, more than anything,
    I am afraid of heart break.
    How do I cope? Not well.

    Reply
  4. Cheryl ~ Casual Cottage Chic

    I fear I will get bored with life as I get older, and so I try to make each day the best! And not dwell on the “what ifs” of tomorrow 🙂
    P.S. Love the view from your apartment!

    Reply
  5. Amylia

    Now that I’m a mother, I am afraid of bad things happening to my daughter. Especially when I am not there. I don’t want my child to have a life free from any difficulties or challenges or even sadness, but the thought of something happening to her and not being able to protect her is more than I can bear. I can only imagine how scary to think of you boy in an avalanche!!!

    Reply
  6. annie

    I’m like Bev-worry a lot but dont fear. Too much, at least consciously. Roaches give me major wllies. I scream, jump, stomp, and run. But fear them? Nope. As long as they don’t gang up on me.

    Reply
  7. Sharon Penney-Morrison

    I work very hard not to worry about things I have no control over. As I have gotten older it is much easier for me to let go of worry.
    Fear? Spiders will send my heart in palpation’s. I just freeze. If they are bigger then a dime…just shoot me!!! I grew up in the country and there were many wolf spiders who are like the little sister to the Tarantula. They would get in the house. One night I was walking down the dim hallway to my bedroom, and I stepped on one barefoot! Didn’t kill it of course. It ran like hell and I swear it hissed at me.
    In the summer I would take a pitcher of water and go out into the backyard and pour liquid down their big holes. They would come up and I would step hard on them and kill them.
    So…there you have it. I feel yicky right now even remembering this trauma!!
    The other fear would be abandonment…that is another story for another time.
    hugs love

    Reply
  8. Diogenes

    Heights and bridges.
    Corey these are beautiful pictures. Hope the fire is roaring and you are having a nip of brandy.

    Reply
  9. carol

    Like Bev I’m also worrier, but the older I get the more I realize how fruitless it is.
    I’m afraid of escalators, which fortunately I don’t encounter much anymore. The last time I was afraid it was because of a medical situation.
    Fears like Sasha now has of going off of the trail can be very protective. Kudos to him for learning from his experience!

    Reply
  10. Anne

    I think Yann should be my teacher , I have always wanted to Ski, just once would be fine for me. I don’t know anyone who would come with me or teach me. I think I am more scared of the ski lift or chairs you have to go up in . 🙂

    Reply
  11. Leigh NZ

    Stunning scenery Corey!!
    My biggest fear is going through another major earthquake. At 4.35 AM on the 4th of September 2010 I was upstairs sleeping when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck our city and it was the most frightening experience of my life so far including the 2000 plus aftershocks we have experienced since. I never ever want to go through anything like that again…how did I cope?…unfortunately like my mothers cat I had an attack of the quake munchies and put on a lot of weight through comfort eating. If we have a Norwester (very hot and windy) aircraft take off from a different direction and can be heard rumbling on take off from a distance and it sounds exactly like a big quake coming…always manages to set my nerves on edge; I don’t think that I’ll ever quite get over it and as a result sudden loud noises also get to me.

    Reply
  12. Debra

    Unfortunately, daily for me right now. Praying every day. Taking one day at a time.

    Reply
  13. Jeanne

    The cave you fear
    holds the treasure you seek
    ~ Joseph Campbell
    There can never be fear and faith in the same room.
    Someone once told me that.
    Love your postings
    Happy Friday

    Reply
  14. Linda P.

    Debra, I had to say that it must be so tough living with fear every day. I pray you soon find a way out of that level of fear.

    Reply
  15. V.

    Yesterday my breaks stopped working in the slick snow, my car lost control, and I ended up slamming into a brick house. Miraculously, there was no damage to the house (brick houses from the 1800s are apparently tanks), only a crack in the bumper, and only some soreness and back/neck pain from the impact. I am so, so thankful to be alive. Had the car not swerved the way it did toward a driveway/house, I would have gone straight downhill through a busy intersection. Suffice to say, I’m now terrified of cars! I’m still shaken, but I am more thankful for my life and the stars that watched over me than ever. The stars were watching over Sacha too!

    Reply
  16. Dd

    So very beautiful. Couldn’t noticing Annie’s tissue. My French grandmother did the same thing!

    Reply
  17. Tongue in Cheek

    Dear V
    Wow! I am glad to hear that you are alright. How scary!

    Reply
  18. Kit

    Fear for my children is always worse than fear for myself, but I guess the worst (mostly suppressed) fear I have is of losing our home, as we always seem to be on a financial knife-edge. We’ve always managed so far, so I guess I have to trust more that everything will be all right, whatever happens.

    Reply
  19. Teddee Grace

    I was terrified every time I skied and never did get over it totally. Once my husband and I split up, I never skied again and haven’t regretted it…I think my skis and boots are in storage somewhere in Arizona…and here I am living in Colorado with my back against the mountains!

    Reply
  20. Peggy Braswell

    I think there is healthy fear(sasha) + bad fear(nothing we can do about). I lived with bad fear in my younger years! I once heard a wonderful saying “Faith is Fear on it’s knees” something like that. Now, in my grown up years I try not to have fear + get down on my knees! xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

    Reply
  21. monika

    From the time I when I was quite young, may 7 or so, I remember being terrified of a very specific type of cancer (none other). When I friend of ours had something similar, and died quite young, I was terrified. At that time I had had health problems for over 4 years, had complained constantly to doctors, and hadn’t been given the right tests, because this type of cancer is (almost) unheard of in someone in their twenties.
    You know where I am going with this, right?
    I was finally diagnosed at the age of 32, after having experienced symptoms for over 6 years. I had a very rare genetic disease that leads to this cancer, and every doctor had misdiagnosed me from the age of 5, when my first symptoms had appeared (benign tumors on the back of my neck). I had been born with a ticking time bomb; nothing would have changed me getting the cancer.
    The most terrifying thing is that during those 6 years when I was having particularly telling symptoms, I found a book and pack of cards called Russian Gypsy Fortune Telling Cards. I bought them because they images were beautiful and I thought it would be a hoot. But every time I did a reading for myself, no matter how hard I shuffled, I always ended up with the death card in the worst position out of 4 possibilities: an illness resulting in death if treatment is not sought.
    Now, cancer is still scary, but not as paralyzingly terrifying as before. I still can’t wrap my head around it.
    These days, I am frightened that something will happen to my children or husband.

    Reply
  22. V.

    Thanks, Corey! 🙂

    Reply

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