What ever possessed me to become a paranormal investigator???

Ok, ok....the pun was TOTALLY intended. I couldn't help it. But I have often wondered what draws people into investigating the paranormal. I know we all have our own personal reasons and I certainly can't speak for every investigator out there. But REALLY! Why on earth do we try to prove the fact that spirits are out there and among us? While others are out there covering their heads and shivering at the "things that go bump in the night", there WE are, on the front lines like the little Chickenhawk from Forghorn Leghorn (ok, so I'm REALLY aging myself here....) : "Let me at 'em! Let me at 'em!" Are we insane, or what?? What drives us to do what we do when others are running away?

For me personally there are a few reasons. I want to help other people understand what is going on in their lives, that it CAN be okay, and I want to document that life exists after our physical body dies. The word "understanding" can involve a lot of debunking (we once had a client who would jump out of her skin every time the air conditioner clicked on). I am a sleep medicine specialist by trade and many clients confuse sleeping disorders with paranormal activity. If I can help a client understand that what they (or their children) are experiencing is not paranormal, I can bring peace to their lives. Everyone should feel comfortable and safe in their own home.

On the other hand, I am waiting for that ONE ultimate personal experience that will be forever sealed in my memory as proof that life goes on after we die. Yes, I have been touched, heard whispers, seen shadows, etc, but as weird as this sounds, I WANT to be shoved, pinched, bit, slapped....WHATEVER. I WANT to have the living CRAP scared out of me. Maybe I need to be sitting in a psychiatrists office for even expressing that, but it's how I feel. I mean....REALLY?! Who in their right mind will go running towards a scary noise or a shadow figure to document proof that spirits exist? For some people it might shake the very core of their beliefs and how they view the world around them. For me, I take comfort in knowing that the spirit I have and the spirits of those that have gone before me continue to exist after the body is gone. To me it seems like it would be such a waste of energy to have us simply fade away. I know that my mother and father still love me, are around me, and for me that makes it all worth it.

If I happen to crap my pants in the process, then so be it. Mission accomplished.