Here We Go Again!

Another Karen Schwartz This or That

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You know the drill. She asks, we answer. Simple, yes? You want to play? The link is at the end of my fascinating answers. ;)

1. Do you prefer to sleep with your bedroom closet doors closed, or are you comfortable leaving them open?

The closet doors are closed. I’ve read entirely too many Stephen King and Dean Koontz novels to even think about a crack in the closet door. Firmly closed, thank you.

2. Does a ghost/spirit live in your home, or only living things you can tangibly touch?

My house was built in 1945, so it’s entirely possible it houses a ghost or two. Lilly Lillybutts has been known to bark while staring off into space. Maybe there’s a ghost there. Whenever I think that might be the case, I say hello and ask if they need anything. I’m guessing they don’t since I never hear an answer.

But, if you ask me do I believe in spirits, why yes, I do, but I don’t think they live in my house. They show up wherever they want to.

Some days I can feel my 6'2" grandson over my right shoulder. Other days, I feel like he’s trying to prank me. He was quite the jokester in life.

The Cowboy (my dead husband for those new to the Challenged) is forever helping me out of jams or just to find something I’ve lost. I know he places the right person in my life when I need them. It’s pretty magical.

3. Do you believe you are of sound mind, or do you often question your sanity?

I leave it to others to question my sanity. They do so regularly. And, after today’s drabble, who could blame them?

4. Are you more afraid of climate change or financial insecurity?

I’m old. I worry about how climate change will affect young people, but I doubt it will cause too many problems for me unless power outages cause me to die from a heat wave here in Kansas.

I will always worry about financial security even though I am currently in a position that allows me to still save. However, one sizeable financial issue with my health or home could easily exhaust the money I’ve saved for such an eventuality.

Prices keep going up, and while I now earn a little extra working a few hours a week, I won’t always be able to do that.

I hate to sound like a crazy old person, but I remember when ground beef was 49 cents a pound. Now, it’s $7… that’s a hike!

5. Currently, do you have more dreams or nightmares each night?

I don’t remember many dreams or nightmares. I had a recurring nightmare as a kid, but I only recall being kidnapped and stuffed into a boat that my captor drove down a river surrounded by high cliffs. (Armchair psychologists, have at it!)

Twenty-five years ago, I had a nightmare in which I died after having an ice pick plunged into the soft spot at the base of my skull. (So don’t believe that crap about not being able to die in a dream! And again… armchair psychs, I’m all yours.)

But my favorite dream was probably thirty years ago. In it, I was Alice Cooper’s girlfriend. It was so real that for weeks afterward, I expected him to call. So weird.

That’s 2–1 Nightmare to Dream.

6. Have you conquered your biggest childhood fear or not? Explain.

My biggest childhood fear was being in a car crash. There weren’t cops out there looking for drunk drivers in the 50s and 60s, and my dad was a drinker. There were many nights when I sat in the backseat, teeth clenched, hands fisted, fear palpable, as my father swerved the 20 miles home from my uncle’s house.

I won’t consider getting in a car with a person who’s been drinking. I don’t drink and drive. (I barely drink.)

I’m not sure if that’s conquering a fear.

I don’t remember being fearful as a child. The only thing that comes to mind is the fear of not being good enough/not being liked. I’m not sure if I’ve conquered it as much as I’ve built a life in which it doesn’t have much opportunity to present itself.

I do understand it, however. I have ADHD. That’s nothing new, except that when I was a child (50s/60s), long before ADHD was even a thing, kids with it were considered naughty, lazy, lacking manners, and lacking effort. I got checks in Effort and Deportment throughout grade school.

I was the troublemaker… the bad kid.

Four years of deep psych work doesn’t change the feelings, but it definitely allows me to understand from where they originate.

7. Would you rather visit a serial killer in prison or be a juror for a mass murder trial?

Passing judgment would feel awesome if they had the right guy and the right proof. (Put me on DJT’s jury, please!) And, I would be going through it with the other jurors, and everyone in the courtroom, which might cause less psychological damage than visiting a serial killer in prison.

As a juror, even if one is in the presence of the murderer longer, it would probably be less personal. Serial killers seem to have a way of getting into people’s heads. I don’t want them there.

8. You hear screaming from your neighbor’s house: do you ignore it or get involved?

I get involved. This happened a few months ago when I heard screaming from a few doors down. It was midnight or later, and I opened my back door trying to discern if it was a partygoer or something serious. I called the police.

I almost didn’t, but there are teenage girls living in that direction, and decided I’d rather call for nothing than not call and it was something. As far as I know, it was nothing.

I’d not hesitate to call again.

9. Would you rather lose your mental faculties or your physical mobility? (You’re losing one or the other).

Physical mobility. Although it might drive me crazy, negating my choice, I don’t think it would. As long as I can read, write, watch television, and play games, I think I’d be happy. Maybe.

I’m with Brandon, I don’t want to bring any of these choices into existence by spending too much thought on them. (It was Brandon, right? Oh crap! There go the mental faculties!)

10. Do you prefer to travel alone or with a traveling companion?

I love getting to places alone but enjoy meeting up with someone at my destination.

Travel alone. Explore with a companion.

Is that one or the other? Your question needs to be more specific.

I do wish I had a companion with whom to explore new places. I’ll get there independently, though. ;)

Karen’s original questionnaire is here:

[embed]When You Run Out of Topics A November ToTmedium.com

Brandon’s answers:

[embed]Revealing Questions That Make You Doubt Your Sanity A November ToTmedium.com

Amy’s answers:

[embed]Pick Your Poison November ToT I Anxietymedium.com

Misty’s answers:

[embed]Dreams, Fears & Insanity More ToT Questions, More ToT Answersmedium.com

Join in the fun over at the Challenged!

[embed]the Challenged This publication is a place for writers who enjoy a challenge.medium.com