There are many things to be afraid of.

Lots of people are afraid of spiders and snakes. I would classify myself as one of them, though probably not at a debilitating level. Put something slithery or creepy near me and I suspect I’d quickly move myself away, but it wouldn’t cause a complete breakdown. I don’t see it as a phobia. I see it as basic common sense.

Then, of course, there are the big issues to be afraid of. I suppose one of the real biggies is death. To be honest, I’m not sure I’m actually afraid of dying. After all, once you’re actually dead, it seems there are only a few options. Option number one is you come back and start at the beginning again. Ok, already been there and done that (perhaps more than once, for all I know). Option number two is I go on to some kind of after life. If that were the case, I like to believe I’ve lived a good enough life that I’ll wind up somewhere good. Option number three is that I simply cease to be. No more me. As someone who quite likes existing, that might not be the most favoured option, but it doesn’t sound too painful. So all in all, I can’t say I’m too afraid of death, but then again, I’ve never done it before, so who knows?

If the basic prospect of death is not in itself a frightening thing, I suppose it’s more the manner of death that can be concerning. I would certainly hate the idea of a long, drawn out, and especially painful death. Now that’s definitely something to be afraid of.

But there is something else that definitely concerns me.Something else that definitely keeps me up at night. I have so many works in so many different states. Some are swirling around in my head. Some are included in written lists of story ideas I’d like to write. Some have been fully drafted out (i.e. my current WIP, the comedy, fantasy, romance, satire, adventure novel) but need a heap of additional work.

In short, I have a heap of projects in need of finishing. Projects that I really want to get them finished.

And that is the source of my great fear. That I’ll run out of time. That I’ll never get around to finishing all the things I want to finish.

So am I afraid of dying? Depends how and when. Am I afraid of dying before I’ve got everything finished? Definitely.