NOTES FROM THE AWARENESS: 857

Observe your fears.

Today while I was doing fall yard cleanup, I heard little screams from the neighboring business property. I observed a woman jumping back in fear while she shrieked and sprayed the back door region of the building with what appeared to be a large bottle of poison.

She eventually noticed me watching her and commented, “Spiders.” I replied that they were essentially harmless. She continued spraying. She was applying the poison liberally and likely had coated the spiders, the door, and herself.

I felt bad for the spiders. They had done nothing wrong and harmed no one. They were a casualty of her fear.

My internal response was judgmental. It seemed and extreme choice on her part. I wanted to say something to her, but somehow knew to refrain.

I eventually occurred to me that she was illustrating for me the irrational nature of most fear, mine included. When we’re in fear response, logic doesn’t enter into it. We react and the results aren’t often pretty.

If we can manage to take a breath and step back from our knee-jerk reaction, we can observe the situation more neutrally. The fear will no longer have us in its grip.

Today’s message reminds me to step into observer mode when I feel fearful. When I can see the situation more objectively, I will feel better and be more likely to choose an appropriate response to the situation.

Please reflect and share. How do you handle your fears?