John 3:16 Be thankful, grateful, patient, charitable, kind, and don’t forget to smile, as it is infectious. God Bless America and Protect Our President and Military!
I learned early that the only way to overcome fear is to face it head-on. It could be scary movies, the dark, water, lightning and thunder, walking alone in the woods, the schoolyard bully, train, bus, spiders, bees, dogs, first at bat in organized baseball or tackle football, or, like Indiana Jones, snakes or a fear of heights. Some fears are healthy to have to a certain extent, but knowledge and preparation can help you overcome most of them. At times in life, it always seems like there’s something to fear.
As guys, we can all recall our first encounters with various memorable experiences: our first bully encounter, our first girlfriend or first kiss, learning to drive, our first bee or wasp sting, a spider bite, learning to swim, catching a fish, sharks, newts, frogs, mice, rats, boat ride, plane ride, being bitten by a dog, being chased by a dog, getting scratched by a cat, or even encountering a snake—though it was just a gardener snake, which felt more slimy than threatening. It’s the same with frogs and worms, especially when trying to bait your hook!
During our trip to Alaska in 2015, we experienced some thrilling adventures, including zip-lining 150 feet in the air, crossing rope bridges, and rappelling down, all while keeping an eye out for brown bears feasting on the plentiful dog salmon in the creek below in Ketchikan. We also went whale watching out of Fairbanks and saw majestic blue whales, sea lions, eagles, moose, and more.
Like I said, if it’s not one thing, it’s another when it comes to things you might fear, and some are healthy fears – fire, gas, guns, knives, bow and arrows, but knowledge breeds a state of comfort even around things we should have a heightened awareness of the dangers in misuse. Just ask any parent, fireman, or camper about fire prevention.
What were some of your fears you needed to face to overcome? What is something you still might be afraid to do?
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