Fear visits me frequently

i used to wish

for a life without fear

but i now know

wishing not to feel something

tends to be wish wasting

and i’m mostly definitely pretty sure

that the desires i have

the wants i am wanting

will require me to face fear

again and then again

the fears are familiar ones

nothing all that new

definitely not unique to me

and frankly not all that compelling

you know the ones…

the fear of falling (especially publicly)

the fear of rejection (and being embarrased)

the fear of losing (losing what matters to me,

including the ones i love)

the fear of realizing i might not be able

to make certain aspirations come true

and knowing at least if i don’t try

i can still fantasize liberally

the fear of more fear

the fear of massive mistake making

you get the point

you likely know the fear,

these fears intimately

the funny, not so funny thing

is how so many of these

still torment me

even though i know

even though i have experienced

that facing and moving through my fears

has given me everything good

when i look back at my life

every time i’ve confronted my fears

every time i’ve taken a faith leap

made a heart choice

dug my heels in

throwing a little caution to the wind

i grew…

i grew, i evolved tremendously

sure, true

i didn’t always win, not even close

i did fall, i have fallen hard

i am often embarrassed

i have lost a lot

and but wow

so much

have i gained

the harvests i have reaped

the wisdom worth it all

and as far as i am concerned

growing/evolving/transforming

is the closest thing to flying

that us humans get to do

so maybe we fly

knowing we cannot stay in the air forever

and maybe we don’t let fear

make our life decisions for us

yes respect fear,

but do not let it drive…

acknowledge it

but do not confuse it

with you…

we are not our fears

we are bigger than our concerns

we are stronger than our terrors

and we get to choose

how our story goes,

we get to write our very own

courageous endings

go for what you want

over avoiding what you don’t

you might just be surprised

by how high you can climb

when fear is not allowed

to steer.