Friday, August 31, 2012


I was thinking how I used to see Australia as being so scary and dangerous...well, because of the venomous animals and crocodiles. 

At one time, I ignored my desires to go to Australia because of this fear—that, and also the whole long plane ride thing.

In a similar fashion, I imagine that Australians fear America because people seem to be shooting each other left and right. 

It's not really the same, though.  Because in America, people ARE getting shot fairly often. In Australia, people rarely get killed by venomous animals. Even crocodile and shark attacks are rare. 

It seems to me that every few weeks the US provides a news story about random people being shot while doing their normal everyday thing.

This morning people got shot and killed while doing their morning grocery shopping.

It's scary.

Then there's driving.....

There are intoxicated people on the road.

There are people texting. 

And there's simple shitty luck.

Every day, that we wake up in the morning with our loved ones alive and well, is a blessing.  

Now that I think of it, it's quite silly of me to be scared of Aussie wildlife. 

I'm less scared enough now to visit Australia. But I still fear going up north because of crocodiles.   And I'd be afraid to swim in Northern Queensland because of the Box Jellyfish and the Irukandji. 

Although maybe it's less about the fear of death and more about the fear of the CAUSE of death. Or it's the fear of the cause of the almost-death, the ones that makes you wish you'd hurry up and die (because you're in so much pain).