Fear Won't Hold Me Back!

Fear....

Fear is a demon that lives within.  It is a straightjacket tied too tightly.  It is the one thing that prevents us from living a full life.

Those of you who follow this blog or know me personally understand I've had it rough over the last few months.  My life has turned & flipped & spun and ended up so at times I could hardly recognize it. I have lost many relationships and the ones I still have are mostly changed.  But this was all good.
I have left what has been my spiritual family for years and joined a new one.  I have a different faith designation, although my beliefs are the same. I have begun giving lectures and have been asked to teach. And this is also good.

Fear is what held me back from these changes.  I admit that.  I let fear of losing people from my life and fear of just being lost hold me back. One day, for whatever reason, I took that step anyway. I am pleased with the results.  I admit I'm still dealing with the  repercussions which seem to never stop rippling, but it is becoming easier with each passing day.  Seeing several people near & dear to my heart struggling to overcome their fears has made it easier for me as well. We have joined together to deal with our fears together! This support is what really helps you to get through the dark nights.

While all this is going on, a book popped up. I recently joined a couple book clubs at my library and one of them is for YA books that are really more adult.  This month was The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater.  It's an interesting book, basically about a young woman overcoming her fear, a fear with a very good purpose!  Imagine living on an island where vicious horses come literally out of the sea.  When I say vicious, I mean that people who try to ride them sometimes end up dead, and you do NOT want to run across one out in the open during a stormy night!

Now why am I mentioning this book?  It came at a time I was working through dealing with fears.  This young woman has to overcome  incredible fear and ride in the race with these horses that come storming from the sea.  It is the only way to save her home & provide for her family.  It is rare that I get caught up in a book like this, especially a YA book, but this was a great exception.  You are pulled in and actually live through her fears as well as the other main character, a young man who has tamed one of these horses, but has his entire life riding on the outcome of this race.  I do highly recommend reading it yourself.

I admit, this book wasn't something that changed my life, but it came at the perfect time and gave me another perspective on fear.  It made me think....  Granted, this is only a book, but here are two young people who are stepping forward into not just fears, but terrors because they know they have no other choice.  It made my own problems seem somewhat less scary.  It makes you think about the fact that plenty of real-life people are dealing with things far worse than I was.  And so, I took that first step.  I keep on taking steps.  What will be, will be. I can't control other people's reactions. I can only control my own.

Now, I am on a journey of moving past those things that have held me back for so long.  It feels amazing!  I never know what the day will bring, so each moment is an adventure!  Go out & find your own adventure.  There are plenty to go around.