Terrorists attacked Paris.
I board a plane to New York City for a business trip.
A video was released threatening New York.
I walk in Times Square.
The U.S. declares a high alert to all travelers.
I board a plane in New York City.
My time in New York City was unexpected...but not in the way I ever wanted or planned. I imagined new adventures not high-alerts. I envisioned funny stories not life-endangering threats.
Fear is a powerful weapon. Our enemies use it against us because they believe it has the power to cripple us. Fear lives inside us...it is a part of us. The right amount of fear makes us safe. The wrong amount of fear keeps us paralyzed. It's a balance we all know well. It's a balance we all struggle with.
This generation, my generation, grew up learning and living with the remnants of world wars. We've lived through multiple terrorist attacks on our country. Fear beckoning us with each popping headline and jarring news report to see our world as hellish, crazy, and dangerous. At times it all just feels so uncontrollable, as if a solution is unimaginable, a problem to complex to solve, a gap too big to ever be mended.
But then I spend a weekend with two pretty spectacular people I get to call family and I know everything will be alright. You see Love triumphs over fear. Love triumphs over evil. It always has...and it always will. It's the genetics off our humanity. It may get bad...it may get really bad...but Love finds a way. It always has...it always will.
A few years ago I walked in Times Square. Past experiences making me vulnerable to fear and anxiety. I spent the entire time afraid of history repeating itself. Fast forward to now, I walked those same streets. The streets lined with NYPD officers, members of the military with machine guns...and I was not afraid. The unexpected guest walking with me was certainty. Despite the threats and alerts, the voices ringing in our mind to be afraid, I was certain no matter what happened I would be okay regardless. I knew who I was and I knew whose I was...nothing else mattered. A simple but profound revelation finally put to the test.
I could've spent a whole trip giving into fear and all I would've remembered about my time in NYC was that fear. I chose to spend the weekend having fun, living in love, with two amazingly brave cousins of mine. We three chose to engage not disengage. We did not let fear control our time together. Were there moments of fear and anxiety...absolutely. Yet we chose to move past them. We chose not to give in to it.
We cannot control when we will be afraid. Life is uncertain, experiences are unexpected and unplanned. Fear is a natural part of who we are. We can however authentically choose what to do with that fear.
This generation, my generation, grew up learning and living with the remnants of world wars. We've lived through multiple terrorist attacks on our country. Fear beckoning us with each popping headline and jarring news report to see our world as hellish, crazy, and dangerous. At times it all just feels so uncontrollable, as if a solution is unimaginable, a problem to complex to solve, a gap too big to ever be mended.
But then I spend a weekend with two pretty spectacular people I get to call family and I know everything will be alright. You see Love triumphs over fear. Love triumphs over evil. It always has...and it always will. It's the genetics off our humanity. It may get bad...it may get really bad...but Love finds a way. It always has...it always will.
A few years ago I walked in Times Square. Past experiences making me vulnerable to fear and anxiety. I spent the entire time afraid of history repeating itself. Fast forward to now, I walked those same streets. The streets lined with NYPD officers, members of the military with machine guns...and I was not afraid. The unexpected guest walking with me was certainty. Despite the threats and alerts, the voices ringing in our mind to be afraid, I was certain no matter what happened I would be okay regardless. I knew who I was and I knew whose I was...nothing else mattered. A simple but profound revelation finally put to the test.
I could've spent a whole trip giving into fear and all I would've remembered about my time in NYC was that fear. I chose to spend the weekend having fun, living in love, with two amazingly brave cousins of mine. We three chose to engage not disengage. We did not let fear control our time together. Were there moments of fear and anxiety...absolutely. Yet we chose to move past them. We chose not to give in to it.
We cannot control when we will be afraid. Life is uncertain, experiences are unexpected and unplanned. Fear is a natural part of who we are. We can however authentically choose what to do with that fear.
-Authentically Unafraid Me
