What are you afraid of?

Bena Mae Seivers

Johnny Depp is afraid of clowns. Gwyneth Paltrow is afraid of butterflies. And Keanu Reeves is afraid of the dark.

David Beckham, the British soccer star, cannot stand disorder. Every soda can he puts in the fridge must be facing the same way. And there must be a certain number. If there’s one can too many, he takes it out and stores it somewhere else. I think this is called OCD….Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Everybody in the universe has a touch of this, myself included.

Billy Bob Thornton is spooked by antique furniture. He wouldn’t be comfortable in my house. But neither would I be comfortable wearing a necklace on a chain with a pendant of Angelina Jolie’s blood around my neck. Weird.

And would you believe Pamela Anderson is scared of mirrors?

Wikipedia says Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry. I have a touch of it. For example, I can’t watch swarms of insects….bees, ants, wasps, or other creepy-crawlies without getting goose flesh.

Other phobias of mine are the garden variety type and are shared by lots of people…..fear of flying — Aretha Franklin doesn’t like the friendly skies, either — fear of heights, I can’t watch Jimmy Stewart’s movie “Vertigo.”

I had a friend who had an abnormal fear of dentists. She almost fainted while watching “Marathon Man” in which Dustin Hoffman was being tortured in a dental chair while a madman was pulling Dustin’s teeth without Novocaine.

Enclosed places give me claustrophobia….in church or the movies I sit in the aisle seat in the back row. And I have a pretty tough time taking a shower with the curtain pulled.

The first time I was given an MRI, I didn’t know what to expect. The technicians hadn’t properly prepared me for the experience. So when I found myself entombed in the coffin-like apparatus, I froze in panic. I couldn’t breathe, speak, or move. After they slid my body out, I was hysterical. From then on, they knew to give me a tranquilizer before the procedure.

I’m reminded of a story that took place in Scotland. A mother who was exasperated with her son’s constant hand washing, told him to just “go shoot yourself” in order to get rid of the annoying habit. She was only joking, of course, but he took her seriously. So he took a shotgun and shot himself in the head. However, the shot didn’t kill him. But it did hit the part of the brain that controlled the addiction. And it cured him completely. He never again felt the need to constantly wash his hands. But please be advised. This is not an acceptable cure unless you have perfect aim.

Chocolate Candy Cheesecake

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon light butter or margarine
1 − 8 oz. bar light cream cheese, softened
1 − 8 oz. bar fat−free cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 light Milky Way bars, cut up
1/4 cup fat−free caramel ice cream topping

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9 inch pie pan with nonstick spray oil.
In a small bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, 1 egg white, and melted margarine until well moistened.
Press crust evenly into prepared pie pan, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine both bars of cream cheese and sugar.
Beat with a mixer until fluffy.
Beat in egg whites, cocoa, yogurt, and vanilla until smooth.
Fold in candy bar pieces and pour into prepared pie pan.
Bake at 350F for 60 to 65 minutes or until center is set.
Let stand at room temperature about 15 minutes.
Top with caramel topping and refrigerate until served.