As a child, I couldn’t compare myself to other girls, because I wasn’t like other girls. From the time I was a young, I always stood out as being different – stronger, unafraid, faster, taller, more able, and unwilling to accept the phrase I am a girl as an ending to any type of sentence that started with I can’t because. I have never been afraid of the dark, had any fears or suffered from any phobias that I can recall. Clowns, spiders, snakes, and bugs have never caused me to scream and run the other direction. Many times I’ve seen girls or women scream toward the closest available male well, do something with it! when they encountered a bug, spider or snake. I never had the luxury of being able to ask someone to do something with a bug or spider. I’m sure I had one as a child and simply can’t remember, but I have no actual recollection of ever having a nightmare or bad dream. My nights in bed have always been filled with somewhat peaceful thoughts of tomorrow, and what might be required of me to get through it without fault or failure.
