Kicking Fear to the Curb

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Added: Tue. Jun 09, 2009 3:29pm
Posted in: Lifelong Learning

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Since returning from India I have discovered that few things scare me anymore. Which frankly is fantastic. The further away I get from my experience in a third world country, the more I realize how much I took for granted before I left. Drinkable water and a workable sewage systems are not often the topic of conversation here in the States. Over there, it was a daily struggle to obtain drinkable water (we had to pump it through a filter we brought from home). We were lucky if we had the water turned on in our apartment located in the wealthiest area of the city. Just being able to walk into a restaurant and know that I'll be receiving familiar mediocre wait service in a language I can understand is a gift. Walking down the street and being ignored is fantastic. My point being, that if I can appreciate all the little things we take for granted every day, why is there any room left in my life for fear?

A few weeks ago I got contacts. Seemingly mundane, this was a huge deal for me. When I was 15 I had a terrible experience with an eye doctor that got angry with me for not being able to handle getting those damn things in my eyes. Today I can see perfectly with my new eyes and everything is just that much more wonderful. Things are clearer and I don't have to be known as "the girl with the glasses" if I don't want to. Also, I will be learning how to ride a horse again. This is an even bigger deal since when I was 14 I was thrown very hard and very far. I turned 29 two weeks ago, and until recently I was unable to come within 10 feet of these animals. Now I will be taking lessons and have learned to care for two horses that live on my property. I had let my fear prevent me from the joy they used to bring. That just seems silly now.

The other day, someone close to me suggested that we go hang gliding. They were pretty shocked when I said I was on board. I imagine that when you have a life changing experience it is a bit easier to put things into perspective. If I can live and travel in India, why can't I do everything else I want. The answer is simple. I can.