I will admit that at times I’m afraid of the dark, being
alone, getting a letter in the mail from the IRS or being in a crowd where I
can’t be in the center. The reality is that fear can either get me to move in
the right direction or it will end up preventing me from being able to live in
the present tense.
I typically react to people that always wait to the last
minute to do normal things in life. I get texts or calls from people who need
help. I’m more than willing to help especially when someone thinks ahead and
has some sense that I’m not going to drop everything at that second to rescue
anyone. I understand the choice of being someone who has been raised to be a
go-getter type that can be annoying to those who like to take their time or
expect others to do it for them. I can blame my mom for being someone that
always pushed to not put off what you can do today instead of waiting till
tomorrow.
The challenge or opportunity for many is to get away from
the give up mode and start taking responsibility for circumstances. Yes, I know
that often what causes a person to stop caring or trying might have nothing to
do with them but circumstances around them. I do tire of the excuse game when
it’s always someone putting off the inevitable or giving into the pressure of
those around them that always expect someone else to do it for them.
So how does someone go from being fearful of living to
someone that is willing to give their all and dive into circumstance regardless
of whether they have all of the answers? Too often doing too much analysis
before actually doing something paralyzes us. Fear at times can push us to do
something that we take for granite or assume that it will get done.
Today I spent about 20 minutes screaming for my dog, which
was chasing a rabbit, to come out of the cotton field. Yes, I was fearful of
losing my favorite dog. (Actually I have 4 dogs so I can’t really say this.)
Usually Freckles goes off for a few minutes then comes flying back out with
this happy grin after having chased that coyote or rabbit. Today was different
after my usual five minute call when nothing happened. So what do I do? Wait
for another few minutes, keep looking or fearfully scream?
I did something instead of just waiting and hoofed it around
the cotton field. The only dilemma was that I was in the wrong area. I know
that Freckles was running frantically trying to find her way out of the
apparent maze. She was lost and could hear us but didn’t know which way to go.
I was so relieved to see her pop out her head and meet back up with my Anne and
the rest of the dogs. I was emotionally exhausted and honestly worried that she
was gone.
It is this type of experience that pushes one to rethink how
they do things. I’m a risk taker so I understand that life without the leash
can be lots of fun for my dogs but also run the danger of them dashing off or
getting hurt. So what happens when I
live life in the fear mode? What happens when I’m too quick to give in to the
pressures around me to conform? What takes place when I do give in and allow
the voices around me to stop me from living and then start existing? My
mother’s voice echoes in the background, ‘Don’t give up! Give it your all! See
what happens.’
So as you think about how you are going to live tomorrow
discover that fear doesn’t prevent death or bad stuff from happening and
ultimately stops you from being able to experience life to its fullest! So
instead give life your all and discover what can happen!
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