To me military life is one great adventure in overcoming fear. Maybe I seem pretty gutsy on your computer screen, but I’m a huge pansy when it comes to things like giant bugs, trying new things and scary imaginary scenarios that I convince myself could easily become reality (whether or not they actually could).
Overcoming fear has been the primary adventure of the last six months of my life. I used to be OK with being afraid. Not any more. When I was pregnant with my first son and my husband faced the prospect of not being there for his birth I simply said “well then I just will keep the baby in there.” Like that would’ve worked. But I chose to face this fear earlier this year when my second son was due and my husband had the option to do something great for his career by going to school right then, or to put it in jeopardy by waiting. I girded my loins (literally!) and took care of it. Done. Fear overcome.
Next was using the riding mower. And then the power drill. And then potty training my kid (because all the “what if’s” around my son not wearing a diaper make me extremely nervous). And then, just yesterday, picking up and taking care of a not-quite-dead-but-not-going-to-make-it-in-the-long-run wild bunny that my dog had just caught and fatally injured (Yes, I’m afraid of dead bunnies. Laugh if you like but I KNOW they have fleas. And yes, I'm also afraid of fleas).
It's the little things.
The show "Friends," which I love to quote in every situation possible, has a great couple of lines about fear from the character Joey Tribianni.
"Face your fear. You have a fear of heights? You go to the top of the building. You're afraid of bugs? Get a bug! Jump off the high dive. Stare down the barrel of a gun. Pee into the wind!"
While I will not be getting a bug (that’s a fear I’m totally OK with maintaining), I love the sentiment behind this quote. Face your fear! Military life isn’t scary unless you let it be.
Pee into the wind!
