I’m not great when it comes to confrontation. Hell, I’m not even remotely good at it. I am one of “those” individuals who, like and ostrich, prefers to bury my head in the sand all the while thinking that, “if I can’t see it, then it can’t see me.”
I know. I know. I can’t do this. I can’t live like this. Truth be told, I don’t … I eventually come around and confront what ever it is that I need to face and deal with, it just takes me a minute or two to gather my bearings and muster up the courage that I need. I know that pretending that something isn’t really there doesn’t make it so … I know that it’s there and that if I don’t deal with whatever it is head on that it can, and will rear it’s ugly head and deal with me – forcing me into action.
You would think that I, ER Nurse Extrordinaire, mixed martial artist, black belt, and mother of four, could not possibly be one of “those” people. Row.? An ostrich? A freakin’ scardey cat? No freakin’ way! Way … but like I said … only to an extent.
I’m human, okay? I want to live in a “perfect” world. I want things to go smoothly and don’t want anyone to suffer. I don’t like being told bad news, or having to confront issues. I don’t like the feeling that I get when my body is thrown into the “Fight or Flight” mode. I function well once over the initial shock and trauma, it just takes me a second, or two. That flood of adrenaline needs to cycle its way out of my system; my heart needs to stop racing so I can take a deep breath and I’m okay. But sometimes … sometimes I’m not okay. Sometimes … I don’t function well at all.
FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real.
I fear the unknown, even though I am intelligent enough to know that fear is nothing but a state of mind. I have a tendency to make things out to be bigger than they really are. I understand that fear can be paralyzing, causing one to stand still. Although I do stand still for that split second, it’s, like I said, to gather my bearings and courage, and to take a much needed deep breath so that I can cautiously move forward to deal with the fear/issue/problem that I need to deal with. Fear stands still, and can be paralyzing. Caution moves forward, albeit slowly, but you move forward to deal with whatever it is that you, need face. Fear keeps your head buried in the sand. Caution allows you to face your fear and start taking action to fix whatever needs to be fixed, or to get over it. Take action, yes, but this is not the same as reacting. That knee jerk reaction is not the way to deal with all issues – that sometimes exacerbates the problem. However, over-analyzing is not the answer either. I’m an over-analyzer, and I am known to have paralysis from over-analysis. My husband says that I think too much. I know that I do, but I can’t help it, always expecting the worst, or making things out to be worse than what they are even before I know what I’m facing. I let my thoughts get the best of me sometimes … what can I say.
I’m not always like this. When I really need to take action immediately, I can do it. It’s the other stuff … the crazy, mundane stuff that I let fester and grow in my head – only getting bigger by the thoughts that I feed it. And I know that things could be much worse, that there are people out there dealing with bigger, far worse things.
So … I will feel the fear … I will feel it some more … then I will start to move … I will do what I need to do. I promise to not stand still for too long. I promise to look fear in the eye and take care of what needs to be done. But you promise me … you promise me … that if you see me falter … that if you see me stand still for a little too long … that you will stand beside me, grab my hand and help me face that fear and not let me go it alone. Promise me that you will grab me by the hair if you see me attempting to bury my head in the sand. Just let me know that I am not alone; that I don’t have to do it by myself, and I, in turn, will do the same for you …
Running Code 3 