I'm Not Afraid

One of my favorite quotes is "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear."  ~ Mark Twain

I went on the New York Roller Coaster while we were in Vegas.  As I said before, it was life affirming.  (It also made me question my ability to manage my own life.)

I'm not necessarily afraid of heights but they can make me uncomfortable.  Not enough that I will allow my discomfort from going up in the Stratosphere, the Space Needle, or walking across the Deception Pass Bridge.


So it was with utter dismay that as we begin to climb up on the roller coaster's first big hill that our friend Miguel states "You know I'm afraid of heights, right?"  (this is where I lose my mind: "Are you EFFING KIDDING ME!?!?!")

"It's okay" he continues "I don't let it keep me from doing this." 

Then fast forward to after our trip when a friend tells us that they teach their daughters not to let their fears make their decisions.  For the second time in a week, I'm given two pieces of unintentional advice about fear. 

It is something I am going to think about over the next little bit.  The universe has whispered to me twice and I feel like I need to listen.

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' "

   ~ Eleanor Roosevelt