Shining the light on fear

 

When you were a child, were you afraid of the boogie man...scared he would creep in your
 room at night? Did your parents comfort you by turning on the lights, showing you there
was nothing to be afraid...that there was no boogie man?

 

Fear is like the boogie man. It creeps in our minds like an intruder, causing our thinking

 to become distorted. As a child, I was afraid of my own shadow. Because my fears went
unnoticed, I thought they were real. I believed in the boogie man.

 

I brought my child-like fears into adulthood. Instead of comforting my fears, I acted on

them. Fear infected how I viewed the world...the world felt unsafe, scary, it was difficult
to trust people...

 

Thankfully, I learned the importance of taking time to quiet my fears, but not giving into
 them. Today, if the boogie man creeps in to my thoughts, I can turn on the lights...
 

*****

 

 

...I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

 

Oriah Mountain Dreamer

****

 "I will not give into fear"