Embrace Fear
Six years old.
Grand Canyon.
My gentle mom.
My follow all the rules mom.
Or maybe she didn’t mom.
Mom grabs my little hand, pulls me away from the crowd, away from the guardrail.
Shhhhhhh.
Tip toe quietly out of sight, around a corner.
Closer. Closer. Closer.
Eyes big, heart pounding, holding tight to her safe hand.
The edge reaches for us, pulls us, fear makes me tingle – breathing stops.
She spots a tree.
What’s barely a tree.
Strong, spindly and determined.
Growing out of nothing, into nothing, living on the edge.
Mom leans out, grasps on with her free hand, holding tighter still to my hand.
Tiny steps forward.
She whispers.
Lean out – and look.
Hold tight – and look.
Come closer – and look.
Don’t.
Be.
Afraid.
Color, rocks, cliffs, birds soaring, water raging, head spinning, mind racing magnificence, only one step away.
Forever imprinted.
Courage, strength, and beauty surround me when I choose to embrace my fear.
Sarah Fragoso
“If you don’t know the nature of fear, then you can never be fearless.” Pema Chodron
