The circle is now complete.
These journals began on January 22, 2017 and the first one was about darkness. I found a quote by JRR Tolkien about fear and darkness and couldn’t help myself in reflecting on it. It’s a riddle and here it is…
It cannot be seen, cannot be felt
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt
It lies behind stars and under hills,
And empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after,
Ends life, kills laughter.
Fear gets a bad wrap. Probably because it doesn’t feel too good and who the hell wants to feel not so good, right? So it cannot be seen or felt or heard or smelt. It is deadlier than a gas which has the danger of exploding precisely because fear does the opposite. It keeps us grounded and hidden away from other people. It gives us the illusion of safety and comfort but in reality robbing us of precious time. Time we could have used more meaningfully.
It also kills laughter, but it doesn’t have to if you don’t want it to.
The presence of fear doesn’t tell you what to do. You can ride or you can hide but that is not why fear is present in our life. I see fear as a testament. A testament to something we are doing. A real sign that we are up to something brilliant. Why else would you ever be afraid, except when it comes to the things that really matter to us?
Yes, fear can be unhealthy but it can also be a sign. A sign not to stop, to perhaps take a break, but a sign to keep going. Keep doing what you are doing. Bend that bow firmly. Type each word carefully. We have to spar with our fear and I have even delivered a three part seminar on the subject. Perhaps it is something I should revisit again in the new year, but we will see what happens.
This is not a goodbye. It is a turning over.
I am going to take a little break, except for the weekend Quintessential Quotables of course, which still has four more volumes to go. I will take a little break over the Christmas season and I am going to conquer the next phase in my life.
I don’t know where I am going or where my words are going to bring me. I don’t know who is ever going to read them, but as long as someone is that is enough reason to keep going. That is a reason not to be afraid and to live more meaningfully doing what makes us feel great.
Merry Christmas. Happy New Year.
Goodbye and Hello.
Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@tobistj
