16 December 2011

Fears: Rational and Otherwise

Four and Five sat down for a snack last night.

"Five, what's your greatest fear?" Four asked.

"The world ending."

"Really? Mine is a tarantula farm."

"What's a tarantula farm? That doesn't even exist."

"In the future it will," Four explained. "And imagine me, jumping out of a plane at 10,000 feet, and landing right in a tarantula farm! I would hate that!"

"Mom, do tarantula farms exist?"

"No."

"See, Four? I have a friend who told me the world is going to end in 2012. You should worry more about that."

"Mom, is the world going to end next year?" Four asked.

"No."

"Well, it will when the sun burns out," Four clarified.

"When's the sun going to burn out?!" Five asked.

"Not anytime soon," I reassured him.

"How will we know when it does?"

"We won't, because we'll already be dead," Four replied.

"Uuuggghhh," Five moaned.

Hopefully not from tarantulas run amok, I thought.

I hope your fears are never realized, and your life is full of small treasures. Like these, from the school store.


Five purchased a guitar pencil sharpener (it's already broken, from overuse), two  rainbow pencils (he gave one to Four), and four little monster figurines, none of which are emblazoned with the school logo. The total cost was three dollars. When he broke the sharpener, he said, "Well, that was a waste of seventy-five cents."
Yes.

8 comments:

  1. LOL Waste of seventy-five cents, indeed. I'm with Four. Down with tarantula farming! (I love that he's not afraid of jumping from a plane, only that he might land in a tarantula farm. To which I say, I concur.)

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  2. Almost forgot, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

    (And, in defense of Four, they sell tarantulas in pet stores. It's perfectly feasible that there could be tarantula farms. So now I'll be having nightmares about that.)

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  3. Oh my goodness, is it Megan day? Happy Birthday! Five should have given YOU a rainbow pencil.

    As to fears, I'm aligned with Indiana Jones (Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?) than Four.

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  4. Anonymous16.12.11

    I've got one who is worried if the world ends in 2012 she'll never have gotten her driver's license and the other won't ever have made it out of middle school. The tarantula farms sounds far scarier to me!

    Happy Birthday!!!!

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  5. Happy Birthday, Megan dear! Hope you are able to take at least a few minutes for yourself today!

    MadMax's school store never had anything remotely that cool-- I want some of those little mini-monsters. Although I'd never thought of it before, a tarantula farm might be my biggest fear, too. After all, if the world ends, we won't know about it because we'll all be gone, so need to worry about that.

    just trying to enter into the spirit of the conversation here. my verification word is sandgic, which looks like some kind of desert magic, dont' you think?

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  6. I'm Team Four on this.

    And happy birthday Megan!!!!

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  7. Anonymous17.12.11

    Is today the day?! Happy Happy!!!!

    Okay, Five can totally save his new guitar shaped ORNAMENT for the All Occasion Tree. (Daniel has one very similar that we hang from the Yule Tree.)

    Yes yes yes, go to Seattle with The Captain, we can drive up and meet you both for dinner. I know a wonderful Thai place now. And a cupcake shop!

    Cat Farm, that would be MY biggest fear. (Gah, I almost deleted that line because it gave me the creepy crawlies so bad.)
    Julie

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  8. Thank you everyone for your happy birthday wishes! The Captain and I spent the evening in New York with our dear friends June, Janet, Maura, and Steve. We get together in December every year and have a lovely dinner, which is my great birthday treat.

    @Delia: It's true-I often lie outright to my children, especially about topics that will cause nightmares. Therefore, there is no such thing as a tarantula farm.

    @Barb: the mini-monsters are really cute-one of them has a mohawk and a leather jacket! I think we could all use a little sandgic this time of year.

    @Skye: do you have tarantulas where you live? My sister in Arizona does, and she's always trying to sell us on how calm and harmless they are. Uh, no thanks.

    @Julie: The Captain got me all excited because he thought he was going to PORTLAND, but we're pretty sure it's Seattle. But he'll have to visit Portland someday, and then I'm totally going!

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