Shark Week 2009 changed my life forever. It started innocently enough. My husband decided to watch Discovery Channel on Friday night while I was on the computer. The show was called "Blood in the Water" and was about the true story of the shark attacks that occurred in New Jersey in 1916 that inspired the movie "Jaws". I found myself quickly drawn in.

Before this show, it's never crossed my mind that I would ever be attacked by sharks. I consider shark attacks to be rare occurences and that sharks generally are not looking to eat people. I even did a report about them in elementary school and thought they were neat! If you don't bother them, they won't bother you.

Then I saw this show and it freaked me out. It's terrifying that a single shark killed so many people in the span of days. I'm glad I'm not going to the beach anytime this summer because I may be afraid to get into the water. Two boys were attacked in a CREEK!!! O_O And imagining what it would be like to feel your legs or arms being ripped off by a shark and then slowly bleeding to death... Let's just say that I had nightmares about sharks that night.

Anyway, the second show I saw as part of "Shark Week" wasn't nearly as traumatic. We saw "Dirty Jobs" and Mike Rowe participated in feeding sharks by hand in the ocean wearing a chain mail suit. While this experience looked terrifying, it was also awe-inspiring to see sharks up close and realize what powerful yet beautiful creatures they are.

So yes, "Shark Week" changed my life. It certainly added a dimension of fear that I've never had before towards sharks. But I try to remind myself, I'm more likely to die in a car than being attacked by a shark so hopefully, I won't let it dampen my ability to enjoy the beach the next time I head to the Caribbean!