Conquering Fears and Rediscovering the Joy of a Challenge

I'm not known to be a wussie. A former state peace officer who made it through four months of a quasi-military state police 'boot camp', followed by years of road trooper duty, the divorced mother of triplets--these aren't the bona fides of a wimp. Yet we all have those little...phobias. And I have...a couple.

One has its beginnings in my early law enforcement career when I was assigned to the Iowa State Capitol before my transfer to the State Patrol. This was back in the days when school children actually behaved well enough to be trusted to take a tour of the capitol dome. Yeah. That was a lotta years ago. No. I don't plan to tell you how many. Anyway, on one occasion a youngster became scared on the trip to the dome and I was dispatched to assist in his descent. Which essentially translated into putting the kid on my hip and picking my way down a creaky staircase suspended over a vast, open drop followed by a wickedly spiral staircase manuever.

Since that incident, I've had some minor issues with heights.

So, it was with some trepidation that I recently signed up for a special employee tour that included the Statehouse attic and...gulp...the dome. I did this for several reasons:

1. To face my fear.

2. To research a future book.

I must confess, reason number 2 was what tipped the scales in getting me to agree to hoof it to the tip-top. And once I made it, the view was worth it. My own sense of accomplishment was a bonus. And the research? Pure gravy.

I see a parallel here to writing. Sometimes we have to take a risk with our writing, reach inside ourselves and pull out story lines or elements we never considered incorporating in our writing projects. You know. 'Go where no writer has gone before.'

In other words, surprise ourselves as writers. Embolden ourselves. Challenge ourselves.

I think is a good way to approach most anything in our lives. Embrace those possibilities you never considered before. Find a new way to 'be'.

For the holidays that could mean instead of cooking for a houseful this Christmas, volunteer at a homeless shelter. Or instead of buying more 'stuff' you really don't need, adopt a needy family to surprise this year. Or pick out someone buying gas at the pump outside and pay for their fill-up. Or drop a pizza off at your mechanic's shop (if he successfully fixes your overheating problem, that is), donate some new books to your local library, shovel your neighbor's sidewalk. You figure it out.

So be of good cheer. And be unafraid. Strike out with confidence and joy in all that you do.

May all the blessings of this holy season be yours!

~Bullet Hole Bacus~