Top 10 scariest things that still frighten us

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Let’s face it; we all have fears – most of them irrational. As children often these are monsters, clowns, or the giant balloons during the Macy’s parade (nothing should EVER be that big!). Some things, however, we never outgrow. Here is a list of the top 10 scariest things that still frighten you.

10)   Getting a chip stuck in your throat. None of us can get over those few horrific seconds when a chip decides to venture into your esophagus dead set on killing you. We panic, reach for the nearest glass of water, and pray that we don’t have to go to the ER to get the rest of the sour cream and onion Pringle dislodged from our throat.

9)   Getting a parking ticket. This is pretty self-explanatory. You’re running late for class – probably because of your dog – so you’re resigned to hastily do a donut into the one open spot in the parking lot only to come out and see that little piece of paper on your windshield.

8)   Missing a step on a staircase. You know that miniature heart attack; while walking and talking to friends, suddenly a stair appears. It wasn’t there before, but now you’re hurtling to your death at unspeakable speeds. Now you have to stand up and resume your conversation while simultaneously acting like you’re not embarrassed.

7)   When Microsoft Word asks to save changes – and you haven’t changed anything. Microsoft works is already a bit of an oxymoron, add the rush of printing off a paper seconds before it’s due into the mix and you have a recipe for horror.

6)   Turning off the lights before you’re in bed. No one is quite sure of what the monster is exactly, but we all know the rules. You have to turn the lights off and turn into an Olympic sprinter in order to make it to your bed before it does. This is why I put my bed directly under my light, that way I never even have to leave the bed to turn it off!

5)   Leaning back a little too far in your chair. If you’re talented you can actually balance in a chair on two legs – but for most of the rest of us who try to be that cool, things go bad quickly. The chair tips back and we see our lives flash before our eyes. We flail our arms like a tickle-me Elmo trying to jump off a shelf as we attempt to regain control of the situation.

4)   Losing your progress on Pokemon Gold. Before apps and memory cards – even before the Nintendo DS, there was the regular Gameboy. Ash would travel across the land, searching far and wide simply to be the “very best.” If it was left alone for too long though, we have to start at the beginning – which is something nobody wants!

3)   Not moving fast enough after lighting fireworks. The Fourth of July is a holiday for everyone to clamor about in a drunken stupor – it also happens to be my mom’s birthday, so thank you for celebrating with her every year. But there are those moments of sheer terror as we race away from the artillery shells just before they explode. We will certainly have roman candle fights all night long – I blame it on the alcohol.

2)   Seeing a spider in the middle of taking a shower. This is it – this is the moment you know your life is going to end. You’re in the middle of belting a Britney Spears medley, dancing like Shakira, lathering your hair because the bottle says “repeat,” and you see it. The biggest spider you’ve ever seen on the face of the planet glaring at you with those death eyes. Don’t worry, I’m sure it doesn’t remember that time you threw your shoe at it.

1)   Your parents using your full name. This one still causes flashbacks; our childlike faces as our parents use our full name. This is usually followed by “don’t you dare break that,” or “don’t stab your brother,” or the scariest “eat your lima beans.” Your middle name will always haunt you.

                Some other contenders were, “eating soup before it’s cool,” “a cockroach crawling across your foot,” and “visiting financial aid without proper paperwork."