Sara and Melissa Have Never....

We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. This is the start of our fifth year!

This month, we are talking about stuff we have never done.

We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. :) We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them. 

Melissa Amster:

I have been asking authors which celebrity they would like to narrate their lives on a TV show, and I use Never Have I Ever as an example when I send the question. So that inspired this month's topic. Here are some things I have never done and will most likely never do. 

Never have I ever....

Drank coffee: If I don't like the smell of something, I won't put it in my mouth, and coffee is a prime example of that. I know plenty of people who love coffee, but I'm not one of them and I don't see myself ever trying it. My husband doesn't like coffee either, but that was after he accidentally drank some as a kid. So when we first started dating, he asked me out for hot cocoa. That definitely earned him points, even though I ended up getting tea that night. (We've been married almost 20 years, if that says anything.)

I got this from Dollar Tree and I love it so much!

Drank beer: Same rule applies here when it comes to stuff that doesn't smell good to me. I just never saw the appeal of beer either. 

Gotten a tattoo: It's a Jewish rule and I will not complain about following it. I use it as a convenient excuse since I don't like the idea of having ink "sewn" into my body.

Pierced anything other than my ears: If I had been interested in doing so, that ship sailed a long time ago. I don't find it comfortable to have a piercing anywhere but in my earlobes and even those were painful to get. I had multiple ear piercings for a while but I stopped wearing earrings in the additional holes about 15 years ago. 

Driven our minivan: We've had it since before my daughter (who is almost 13) was born and I have yet to sit behind the wheel. We may end up getting something different eventually as it's not as much needed other than for road trips and it has been having issues every so often. 

Ran in a marathon: I am horrible at running and would not last even five minutes doing that. I applaud all my friends who have run in marathons though! 

Dived off a diving board: I was terrified and still am and always will be. In our swimming unit in high school P.E. class, I snuck off to the bathroom to get changed into my street clothes when they were asking everyone to dive into the pool. I just couldn't do it!

Served on a jury: This came to mind recently because Jenny from Book Coffee Happy was talking about being on a jury this past week (in her IG stories), and also because of the funny quasi-reality show, Jury Duty, on Freevee. I had jury duty one time in 2010 and was not chosen, so I sat in the waiting room all day and worked on blog posts or read. I did get money for lunch though! The other times I was supposed to attend jury duty, it ended up getting cancelled the night before. One time was due to the pandemic. 

Attended a high school reunion: And I don't plan to either, given that my 30th is coming up this year. (Gasp!) I am friends with people from high school but I can talk with them anytime. I don't need a reunion for that. One friend even lives somewhat nearby. And a handful are not from my graduating class anyway. 

There's something else I've never done, but I worry about jinxing myself if I say it out loud. I will say the only time I was in a cast was one for a play, and I don't mean the kind Evan Hansen wears. 

I also agree with everything Sara is talking about, so I don't need to double her efforts!

Sara Steven:

I’m not sure when my fear of heights initially took hold of me. I remember a time when I used to jump from cement bridges into deep water–something many teens who grew up in Oregon would do when we’d travel out to North Fork, in Marion County. I’d also jump from cliff ledges into those same waters, and I don’t recall feeling much fear or trepidation. Although I once lost my bikini top when I did it, and I was justifiably mortified.   

When I was a child I jumped from a two-story bedroom window in order to play with friends who weren’t forced to take naps, but there was no fear when I propelled myself out into open air and sunshine, landing on one knee, Elvis Presley style. I collapsed on one side and there was pain, but fear? Not that I can recall. 

Something must have happened at some point to cause a severe fear of heights. To the point that, as a leasing professional who shows apartment homes that are often on third floor levels, I won’t even walk out onto the balcony, instead shooing my prospects out there instead to get a view of the surroundings. I stay safely inside the confines of the apartment, so there’s no way I’ll get a glimpse of the ground below. 

When I go to the mall, I can’t even imagine what it would be like to walk along the edge of the wall on the second floor. I won’t look down to the shops below. And my children, who can be cruel to their fraidy cat mother, like to taunt me by walking along the walls, saying things like, “Look mom, look where I’m at,” while they pretend to hang over the edge, filling me with dread. They also show me Youtube videos of daredevils who jump from great heights, either from planes or from mountains, and just the images and video scare me. I have to cover my face with a throw pillow or leave the room altogether.

My husband has talked off and on over the years about skydiving, and there’s no way. There is absolutely no way in hell I will ever allow it. Not that I want to tell him what to do. But it’s the one thing I won’t tolerate. I’ve had people tell me I should try it, that it will help me get over my fear of heights, but just the thought of it makes me sick to my stomach. I know I’d most likely have an accident in my pants, or maybe even a heart attack. That would be my biggest torture, having to jump out of a plane or anywhere from a great height, and there’s no way I would ever do it. 

The only exception to my height fear is flying in a plane for travel purposes–and that’s only because I have to. I prefer to drive. But even when I am forced to travel by plane, I knock on the plane before I enter it, a superstitious maneuver I picked up from my ex-husband who would fly on multiple planes when he was active military and would knock on the plane, too. I figure if he traveled that much and lived to tell about it, it’s a superstitious maneuver that works.

I will never skydive. I will never jump out of a plane. I will never zipline, so stop trying to get me to do it. The Ferris Wheel makes me nervous, and parasailing? Forget about it. I’m a dreamer and enjoy having my head in the clouds, but in this case, my feet will stay safely and firmly on the ground. Always.

What are some things YOU have never done?

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