TOD:
The amusement park at Lake Ponchitrain. We lived in New Orleans for 2 years, when was 5-6. There was one of those scary rides where you're in a cart that travels on a track in the dark, and it looks like you are going to run into a spider's web, but then it opens at the last minute, and then a stack of barrels starts to topple over on you but the car jerks away in the nick of time. I'm sure most DR's have been on these spookhouse rides.
The whole time we lived in N.O., when we went to the lake, I always begged to go on that ride. BUT, I always kept my eyes closed the entire time! Just the noise of the hydraulics operating the barrels, and the sound effects and the jerking cart were scary enough!
On our last visit to the park, I rode the ride one last time, and this time I kept my eyes open! I realized that it wasn't nearly as scary with my eyes open---in fact it was more silly than anything---and I regretted all those times I kept my eyes closed because it all was funny to me.
Then we moved to Seattle. My blankie got packed up by mistake and I had to survive the whole trip without it. By the time I got to Seattle, I was "blankie free".
Yes, indeed, it was a summer of emotional growth!