What are Your Fears?
Fears, phobias, anxieties, terrors, trepidations, apprehensions or whatever else you may want to call them - we all have them. Sometimes we know the basis of their origin and other times we have no idea. It really doesn't matter as they are very real to us. I have three.
Recently as I talked to a good friend I was looking out over the frozen lake. There were people driving ATV's and snowmobiles across the lake and she and I both commented on how we would not dare do such a thing. Just watching them makes me a nervous wreck. The thought of falling through and being stuck underwater raises a fear in me and I have to turn away from this vision.
I'm not sure where my fear of the water began, but I do know where it became a permanent fear of mine. I was around 11 and we were camping on a lake during the summer. My sister swam out to a raft, and instead of resting for a minute she began to swim back immediately. She got tired and thought she had come in close enough so she could stand up, but when she stopped and stepped down the water was still over her head. I saw her struggle and screamed for help so she was pulled to shallow water and safety. To this day remembering this event brings great anxiety to me.
I worked very hard to ensure my children did not inherit this fear. They were started in swimming lessons at 2-3 years old and are very comfortable around the water which makes me happy. I wanted them to have respect for the water, but also to enjoy swimming and other water sports.
My second is a fear of the dark. There is something about being surrounded by darkness, and not being able to see what might be there, that can be unsettling. Even though as an adult I know this might be a bit irrational, my imagination can conjure up visions of what might be lying just out of sight in that darkness. The scary things that go bump in the night - the things of our nightmares.
The third fear is one that many others have. That is the fear of speaking in public. As I have aged this has improved slightly, but I will never be a great public speaker and maybe that is okay. Not all of us were meant to be center stage with the world looking on as we share our wisdom or experiences of life. I am quite content sharing these things in a smaller more intimate setting with those close to me, or as I put words to a page.
If these are my only "big" fears then I guess I will count my blessings, and continue to try and confront them. I know that there are others who live with many more, and some who have fears that keep them from being able to move forward. My hope is they will find the courage to take a small step each day to silence them.
Fears - we all have them. What are yours?
Recently as I talked to a good friend I was looking out over the frozen lake. There were people driving ATV's and snowmobiles across the lake and she and I both commented on how we would not dare do such a thing. Just watching them makes me a nervous wreck. The thought of falling through and being stuck underwater raises a fear in me and I have to turn away from this vision.
I'm not sure where my fear of the water began, but I do know where it became a permanent fear of mine. I was around 11 and we were camping on a lake during the summer. My sister swam out to a raft, and instead of resting for a minute she began to swim back immediately. She got tired and thought she had come in close enough so she could stand up, but when she stopped and stepped down the water was still over her head. I saw her struggle and screamed for help so she was pulled to shallow water and safety. To this day remembering this event brings great anxiety to me.
I worked very hard to ensure my children did not inherit this fear. They were started in swimming lessons at 2-3 years old and are very comfortable around the water which makes me happy. I wanted them to have respect for the water, but also to enjoy swimming and other water sports.
My second is a fear of the dark. There is something about being surrounded by darkness, and not being able to see what might be there, that can be unsettling. Even though as an adult I know this might be a bit irrational, my imagination can conjure up visions of what might be lying just out of sight in that darkness. The scary things that go bump in the night - the things of our nightmares.
The third fear is one that many others have. That is the fear of speaking in public. As I have aged this has improved slightly, but I will never be a great public speaker and maybe that is okay. Not all of us were meant to be center stage with the world looking on as we share our wisdom or experiences of life. I am quite content sharing these things in a smaller more intimate setting with those close to me, or as I put words to a page.
If these are my only "big" fears then I guess I will count my blessings, and continue to try and confront them. I know that there are others who live with many more, and some who have fears that keep them from being able to move forward. My hope is they will find the courage to take a small step each day to silence them.
Fears - we all have them. What are yours?
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