Some Frightening Moments

Eye-Opening Moments Unleashed are real-life stories of adversity, encounters, and perspectives intertwined. In this episode you will hear about Some Frightening Moments.

                                                                                       
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Transcript

Hello and welcome to episode #214 of Eye-Opening Moments Unleashed where you’ll hear stories of adversity, encounters, and perspectives intertwined. They are moments that can lift your spirits, give you some food for thought, or move you. For the introspective mind that likes to reflect, discover, and find solutions or meaning in a complex life, this is for you. I’m your host Emily Kay Tan. In this episode, you will hear about Some Frightening Moments.

Some Frightening Moments

In danger of losing nearly all my possessions because I shipped them overseas to move abroad, a rock seemed to hit my chest, causing me to yell out in pain. With a pounding heart, I watched an airport worker running from place to place with my passport; I was afraid he would keep it or lose it. Though I showered with a locked door in a public facility in the mountains, I shivered thinking of how someone could open the door to expose me in my birthday suit. Running out of funds and jobless, I saw myself sitting on the streets, homeless. Feeling uneasy, like a worm crawling on me in my imagination, I received a Christmas card from an unwanted suitor. Uncomfortable sitting next to a business partner making a pass at me, I cringed in distaste. Feeling afraid is frightening, but it could be good to feel it because a greater value could be hidden.

Ready to move abroad for good, I had lots to pack in advance as I knew it took two to three months to ship by sea. I wanted everything to arrive by the time I arrived. Because I planned far in advance, I expected everything to run smoothly. My belongings did arrive in two months, and I was ready and happy that when I arrived, my belongings would be there to "greet" me. 

I was ready to book my flight for my next adventure, but my ticket was canceled. I bought another one. It was canceled, too. I could not get a ticket out! Frustrated and bewildered, I discovered the world was, in fact, in a pandemic. I knew it but didn't know how serious it was, and I could not believe this virus affected everyone. Travel bans stopped me from traveling to where most of my belongings were stored. What was I going to do?

Stumped about how I could overcome the travel restrictions, I could not find a way to go. I was separated from my possessions and a job that would give me some financial stability. I had to get there as soon as possible. If I didn't, I could lose them all. The shipping company told me if I did not pick up and sign off on my shipment, my belongings would be auctioned off. 

Begging the shipping company didn't help. Explaining that the pandemic and travel restrictions stopped me from arriving didn't help. Tears flowed down my cheeks. I was sobbing uncontrollably. How did I suddenly get to a place where I could lose all my things?

Traveling between a big and tiny airport to go on vacation, I did not know there would be another inspection of my ticket and passport validity at the transfer point to my destination. Watching an airport worker running around with my passport was unnerving. Why did they need more verification that I had a valid ticket and passport? How can I show the validity, and how will they check the authenticity? Baffled and distressed, I could only hope he would hurry and give me back my passport. Pangs hit my chest, and something seemed to be digging and hollowing out my insides to remove my identity. What would I do if he detained me and did not return my passport? My identity was in danger if I did not have my passport back in my hands. 

The poor guy was running around like he didn't know who to ask or talk to about me, the foreigner passing through their little airport. Suspicion of me surrounded me because I was a foreigner. Tell me never to stop at a small or little-known airport or town. I could be jailed, and no one would find me. How did my fun trip turn into a nightmare in broad daylight?

As I traveled to another destination, mountains surrounded me while I stayed in a cement room that kept me cold at night. I had embarked on a journey to learn some martial arts with boulders surrounding me as my classroom. Nightfall came, and I ventured to take a shower outside my bedroom. The public facility had but two shower stalls, two toilets, and one sink. It was indoors, but there was no door to this place! What if someone came in and tried to peek in my shower? I needed to wash as fast as I could. Thinking that they would provide me with all the amenities that hotels usually did, I was woefully wrong. It was no hotel. I got no towel, soap, or slippers. Help! The tiled floor was slimy; it felt like I was stepping on a pool of saliva. Was I? How could I clean myself clean enough when I did not have waterproof slippers to wear while I showered? I wanted to throw up even though nothing was coming out of my mouth. I was nauseous. Besides feeling disgusted, my forehead wrinkled with worry that someone would come in at any time to see my naked body. I comforted myself that if they did, they would be the ones to scream at the sight of my birthday suit, but what would I do if caught naked?!

What could be worse than getting caught naked in front of a stranger? Perhaps it would be more embarrassing to be seen on the streets homeless. Ever since Mom sent me to live with Grandma, homelessness planted itself in my mind to slowly gnaw at me. Though Grandma had modeled saving for a rainy day, the picture of me sitting on the streets haunted me. The memory of Mom, who threw me out at age five, came to affect every fiber of my being and create many demons within me. 

When I invited friends to see my new home after marriage, my hubby scolded me for inviting them without permission. He said I needed permission because it was his house. I thought it was our house, but I was wrong. It was his because he bought it. I was married, but my husband told me his house was not my home. Devastated, I could see myself sitting on a sidewalk. What will I do to secure a home and make the homeless image of me disappear? 

Christmas time is when families gather, and people go shopping for gifts. Though I welcome receiving presents, I am delighted to have a home where I can stay and keep warm. As I arrive at Grandma's house during my Christmas vacation from college, I sit down to open some mail. One Christmas card with a green wreath and a red ribbon was from Mick. I gasped. My eyes strained. How did he get my home address? I told the college that my home address was not public knowledge before, so how did he get my address? Feeling unsafe, I worried he would arrive at my doorstep since he found my home address. What could I do to protect myself? 

Mick was a guy I met at a campus party. We only spoke for a short while, and he wanted a date. I refused; I told him I already had a boyfriend, but he insisted on a date. He found where I stayed in the dorms and appeared at my door unannounced. Frightened, I told him again that I was uninterested and had a boyfriend. Luckily, he left my dorm door. When I got home to Grandma's house in another state, I thought I was safe from him finding me, but when I saw the Christmas card he sent, my throat went dry, my eyes strained, and my forehead wrinkled with anxiety. What would I do if he showed up at Grandma's house?

Remembering Mick gives me a creepy feeling, like bugs crawling through my veins. Trey also gave me that itchy feeling that I needed to smash the bugs, brush them out of me, and then shower to cleanse myself. Trey was an entrepreneur who sometimes worked with me. We sometimes lunched together with other business pals, too. One day, he shocked me.

Sitting at a table for four, Trey and I had lunch with two other business pals. This occurrence was not unusual and happened every so often. However, on this day, Trey shocked me into disbelief. Trey put his leg against my leg and then rubbed it against mine. I couldn't believe what he was doing! It was an unwelcome advance toward me. Luckily, I quickly snapped out of my shock to move my leg away from his leg. We had been business friends for a few years, and I thought we were only friends. How could he disrespect me like that? I rumbled like an aftershock and prayed that he would not try to do it again. If he did, what would I do?

Though many frightful moments scared me, they did not stop me from pressing ahead to do what I needed to solve the problems. 

By pulling out my creativity, my belongings did not go up for auction. I found a way to travel within the pandemic travel ban limitations and saved my job and possessions. With patience and overt calmness, I managed to get my passport back in my hands. Despite the uneasiness of showering in the mountain bathroom, I managed to get clean and return to my room without being frozen in fear. Though I often felt in danger of becoming homeless, I decided to rent or buy to secure a home for myself. Though unwanted suitors tracked down my address or made advances, I faced the unwanted suitors with direct communication.

Because the frightening moments happened and I dealt with them, the experiences helped me build greater strength, creativity, and courage to overcome fears and find solutions. Indeed, fear need not be an obstacle but an impetus to help me be braver!

Key Takeaway: Though I lived through some scary moments, they strengthened my bravery.

Next week, you will hear a real-life story called Getting Set Up. If you enjoyed this episode of Eye-Opening Moments Unleashed, please text someone and ask them what they think about this podcast, or go to www.inspiremereads.com and leave a message. Thank you for listening!