I’m Scared. Are You Scared?
That’s what she asked when she turned to look at me, as she made her way from her bedroom, to the hallway, on the way to the bathroom, with her walker. While this seemed to be the most treacherous passage in her day, she moved through it like an expert; one step at a time.
My 99 year old friend looked at me for an answer. “No I’m not scared,” I told her, because I thought one of us should be brave and take each step with an expectation of sure-footedness. “Oh good!” she cried with such relief and because of that, and no other apparent reason, we both began to laugh uncontrollably. Steadied by her walker, she laughed up enough good medicine to reach her 100th birthday for sure.
I wanted to tell her, in my own way, “Yes, I am scared,” because it’s true. I am. I move forward just as she does. I keep breathing just as she does. And just like her, I don’t know what comes as I pass through the rooms and hallways of my life: taxes, politics, GMOs, relatives visiting for the holidays, divorces, marriages, graduations, sickness, accidents, death, new careers, mergers, bankruptcies, moving in, moving out, pregnancies, and newborn babes.
Lions, tigers, and bears of unknowing stalk our positive expectations, but we can be comforted with a compassionate little lie based on faith. Through compassion and faith we find courage. In that courage we find the strength to move forward. And we keep moving even when we feel like we are standing still. We move the heart, the brain, the breath, and most of all, our thoughts.
Thoughts become things, so regard them carefully and when you come across the scarey ones, match them with faith and laughter. Actually, don’t wait for fear to find something funny. Put your joke books, comedians, and funny faces to work. Bring laughter into your life every day. It may be the very thing that sustains you to 99 and beyond.
Krista
Nourish Your Mind, Body, & Soul with Goodness 
Great post, yes, we all get scared, but we should never let that control us.
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Thanks for your comment Joyce. When I was a kid I was pretty certain that I would die from fear. Now, not so much.
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