Around the age of six or seven I fell twelve feet landing on my face (broke my nose and little toe), which resulted in my fear of heights. As a young adult, I had a job in Chicago’s Loop and took the elevated train to go to work. Whenever possible I would sit in the middle of the car on the side where I could look down at the street as the train rounded a curve. It terrified me, though I believed that I was safe. Gradually its intensity diminished but never vanished.
To prove my ability to overcome my fear, I sat on the ledge of an open window on the sixteenth floor of the Daily News building and watched the traffic below. I was still frightened but it was not controlling my behavior. As a stagehand, I was required to work high above the stage; my more than thirty years was accident free. The fear remained. However, likely do to my respect (controlled fear) for heights it never interfered with my tasks.