Fear

“Those who are most afraid are those always in most danger.” (Catiline) “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 Rooservelt) “If fear is cultivated it will become stronger, if faith is cultivated it will achieve mastery. (John Paul Jones). “No work or love will flourish out of guilt, fear, or hollowness of heart” (Alan Watts) “Transforming fear into freedom - how great is that? (Soledad O’Brien)
There are a lot of fears out there.  Kyrofelonoshophobia is the fear of cartoon characters.  Ailurophobia is the fear of cats. I reckon this land would have not been explored by the white fella if fear had ruled.  Agoraphobia.  They would have stayed inside.
I guess I have been thinking about this because I enjoy gardening.  It is not like I ever think “you beauty, I’ve got nothing planned so I can garden!”  It is more like “these weed are hiding my presence.  I had better weed.”
Lately I have been more disinclined to garden because of the fear of snakes.  I will always have a healthy respect for them, and definitely try not to take them by surprise, but lately it has been more an irrational fear.  To me, if fear stops me doing something then I think I have a problem (unless I am using it as an excuse not to do something, and then it is a pretty good excuse)
This morning I read that first quote and thought how right it was, based on what I have experienced.  It seems that to be overly afraid of something is to invite it.  I knew someone who seemed to have a phobia of snakes.  They told me that no sooner had they mowed then there would be a snake in the grass pile they just put there.  Sure enough, there it was. 
It seems to me fear is healthy as long as it does not control me or prevent me doing what I have in mind.  A mate of mine walked into a flooded creek and then remembered there were crocodiles.  It was like a “doh” moment.  He was right to fear them, but he went on to do what he was doing.  To me that was right to.
I don’t know there is anything that I would rightly fear to the point of going home.  It may take strategy or my breaking new ground.  But if I am doing something that is right for me, I have all I need to complete the task.  If I don’t feel I do, I need to deal with it.  Fear gets in the way, and is just another obstacle to overcome.
Sometimes I even reckon fear can be like a sling shot.  To get a rocket to the moon, they used the earths gravity as a sling shot to get them there.  To me fear can be like that.  It is an inconvenience, but I will use it if need, to help get me where I am going.
Since then I mowed, weeded and rearranged my garden shed.  My healthy respect remained, but nothing was going to stop me doing what I needed to do.