25 Day Challenge - Day 5

Fear Nothing

That is soooo much easier said than done.  I fear a lot of things, which I (believe me) would really rather not fear.  But I do.  And I survive them.  Not always happily, but I do.  If I didn't fear anything, would I be happier?  I don't know.  I would not have to deal with the emotion of 'fear', but then, when I overcome something that I initially was afraid of, I also wouldn't experience the emotion of "I conquered that!!".  Know what I mean?

With both kids I remember the day of the first grocery trip.  For all the mommies out there: do you remember that trip?  How did you feel prior to taking it?  I was terrified.  In my mind I was going to be the lady who was fighting her way through the grocery store with 2 screaming children.  One in the shopping cart, the other one in the carrier on my chest.  In my mind, I would without a doubt pick the wrong check-out line; the one that has the lady in it with all the coupons, or with the one broken egg that needs to be replaced.  The lady, who then continues to write a check instead of using her card (which reminds me of the Visa commercial that aired several years ago.  Yes, the one with my hubby in it: at a restaurant, everything goes smoothly until there is the one customer who pays cash.  This stops the whole flow of music, dance and happiness in the restaurant....loved that commercial, in more ways than one).  Anyways, that line, you know the line I'm talking about right?

I was terrified that I would be that woman.  The woman who everyone (especially the ones without kids) look at and wonder silently what she is doing in the store with her kids who are obviously out of control.  Oh, I feared being that mom in the store.

I remember it took, what seemed, an eternity to get out of the house.  I packed enough things to make it look like we were going away overnight.  Bag, snacks, drinks, milk, nursing cover, diapers, wipes.  After all: you never know.  

Even though I (most likely) still picked the wrong check out line, both those first trips with kids went well.  I certainly got some attention (after all, you get attention when you venture out with a newborn baby), but it was all for good reasons.

When I got home, I experienced a mixture of pride, accomplishment and excitement.  A few hours earlier, I had feared my little outing.  I feared the inevitable, faced it and overcame it.  Now, I smile when I think back of that day and though for most of us this might be an example of a small thing to overcome, as a fresh sleep deprived new mom that was a big step to take.  As moms we all took them and we continue to take steps to overcome whatever we may fear: it could be a plane ride, a vacation away from our children, the kids' first sleepover (somewhere else), their first vaccination, our first day flying solo (not having the help of SuperDad), etc.  And yet our fears don't deter us.  

Fearing something is normal.  Taking steps to overcome it takes courage.  And courage comes from the deepest source: le cœur, which is French for 'the heart'.  There is nothing wrong with anything good that comes from the heart.

Tomorrow's Challenge:

Day 6: Time Management
Whilst time can't be controlled, you can manage yourself.  When you begin to work smarter, not harder, and do the right things better, you'll begin to make the most and get the best out of your time.

Click here for the 'pause - think - act' elements of the challenge.