Sometimes we
fear small things that only seem large at the
time, like a test in school, or meeting a new
boss, or going to the dentist.
Sometimes we
fear big things like serious illness or death,
or that someone we love will come to harm.
Fear is
healthy, and we all feel it. It keeps us from
doing foolish things sometimes, but too much
fear can also keep us from doing what we need
for our growth.
If we have
faith in God and in ourselves, we can turn and
face whatever frightens us, believing we can,
with help, do what seems impossible.
And we will,
and the fear will vanish.
The important
first step in dealing with fear is to take
action -- either by tackling what we fear
ourselves, or by asking for help.
Each time we
face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and
confidence in the doing.
Geese lower their
heads when flying under a bridge,
no matter how high
its arches may be.
-- Julius Caesar
Scaliger
Old fears oppress
us. They can hamper our growth; we learn nothing
from them.
Yet many
of us continue to be afraid, for reasons we have
long since forgotten, or never knew.
Our bodies
sometimes carry the weight of these old fears; a
cringing of the shoulders or a knot in the gut
may be part of the legacy.
Our growth as
free beings may depend on shedding these old
fears. They are as real as viruses, and they
make us ill in similar ways.
We need to
examine our actions, to be sure that we aren't
just ducking our heads every time we fly under a
bridge.
Am I behaving
appropriately? Am I meeting this situation in
this moment, or am I letting the past govern me?
Am I acting or reacting?
When we discard
old fear, we have a sense of liberation.
Whatever wound that old fear was protecting can
heal.
We are ready to
face life as it comes, not as we fear it might
come.
Fear makes strangers
of people who should be friends.
-- Shirley
MacLaine
No one is brave every moment; each of us feels
awkward, shy, perhaps even ugly or dumb part of
the time.
If we could
understand that about each other, it would make
it easier for us to be friendly and willing to
talk to someone new.
Instead, we
often sit back, waiting to be noticed; waiting
for someone to invite us to join in an
activity.
We are all so
much alike, yet we are so certain we're
different.
Being
self-conscious is normal. Even those who are the
most popular suffer the same fears as the rest
of us.
The better we
understand the ways we are the same, the easier
it will be to make friends with someone new.
And it's through
friends that we grow and are strengthened for
whatever lies ahead.
Sylvia's mother says
Sylvia's busy
Too busy to come to the phone
Sylvia's mother says Sylvia's trying to start a new life
of her own
Sylvia's mother says Sylvia's happy
So why don't you leave her alone?
And the operator says 40 cents more for the next three
minutes
Please, Mrs. Avery, I just gotta talk to her
I'll only keep her a while
Please, Mrs. Avery, I just want to tell her goodbye
Sylvia's mother says Sylvia's packing
She's gonna be leaving today
Sylvia's mother says Sylvia's marrying a fella down
Galveston way
Sylvia's mother says Please don't say nothing
To make her start crying and stay
And the operator says 40 cents more for the next three
minutes
Please, Mrs. Avery, I just gotta talk to her
I'll only keep her a while
Please, Mrs. Avery, I just want to tell her goodbye
Sylvia's mother says Sylvia's hurrying
She's catching the nine o'clock train
Sylvia's mother says Take your umbrella 'cause Sylvia,
it's starting to rain
And Sylvia's mother says, Thank you for calling, and,
sir, won't you call back again?
And the operator says 40 cents more for the next three
minutes
Please, Mrs. Avery, I just gotta talk to her
I'll only keep her a while
Please, Mrs. Avery, I just want to tell her goodbye
