There are days when I’m feeling completely and utterly brave and I want my life to unfold in a mystery of 1000 stories, each only slightly interwoven with the one before it and all of them a complete surprise and full of whatever the world has to offer.
And then there are the days when I’m feeling like I would like my life to unfold exactly as I’ve planned, please and thank you. Because anything else is full of the unknown, and by God, the unknown is scary.
How can this be the same person? One so brave and willing to put it out there and the other a fearful child who wants what she wants and is willing to throw a Veruca Salt tantrum to get it?
Two sides of the same coin, I suppose.
Maybe real life happens somewhere in between.
Each of us will have those days when we’re feeling so brave that we feel that nothing in the world can stop us. And then other days when the fear of the unknown will make us cower silently within ourselves.
Best thing to do?
Say hello to the fear and get used to it.
If you choose to live bravely and stretch, fear will cross your path. Perhaps with frequency. But just because you cross paths doesn’t mean you need to embrace it and befriend it. No. Acknowledge fear’s presence and continue along your path.
You may even get waylaid for a day by your fears and that’s OK. Accept that today you’re feeling afraid and know that by tomorrow it will likely pass and you’ll be back following the winding and awesome trail that is your life.
Sure, you could accept the fear and live an ordinary life. So many do. But your life will be so much richer if you stretch and embrace the unknown. And in the end wouldn’t you rather have a rich and fulfilling life marked by exciting twists and turns than an ordinary, mundane existence?
I know which path I’ll choose. The wild and dangerous winding road of life. Even if it means that I may occasionally cower in fear. Because I know that I’m strong enough to overcome that momentary emotion and that I want all of the rich and juicy joys an unexpected life will bring.
What about you? Which path will you choose?