That Old Couch

Salutations Cyberspace. It's gorgeous out...has old man winter finally blown his last breath? We can only hope, although the winter was shockingly mild and there was hardly any fun fluffy stuff. 'Cuz I'm sure you haven't heard enough about the weather by now.

Today I want to talk about fear. When I googled 'top 10 fears', I found a lot of different results. A lot of the results showed up over and over - snakes, spiders, the dark, thunderstorms, heights, public speaking, etc. I was shocked to find that death only showed up on a few of the lists that I looked at.

What is it that scares us about death? It's the giant question that comes with it. What happens when we die? I have no definite answer...nobody does. A lot of us find solace in religion or some set of beliefs. Most of these tell us that life goes on...even after life is over. An answer that may be slightly illogical, but is widely accepted nonetheless.

It is a scary prospect. I mean, who knows what to expect? Then again, who knows what to expect when they fall asleep? Any night's dream could be a nightmare. Yet we still get out of bed in the morning, not knowing what will happen. It could be the worst day you've ever had...but you didn't know that before you threw off the sheets and rolled off of your mattress.

I'd say that to a certain extent we're all at least a little apprehensive when it comes to things we're not familiar with. Would you jump into a natural pool of crystal clear water on a hot summer's day? I would. But would you be so quick to hop in and beat the heat if the water was murky? I would probably not. I don't know what's in there! Ever felt nervous before going somewhere new? Anxious before meeting someone new?

My question is this - why do we fear the unknown? I've come to discover that the unknown is the reason I get out of bed everyday. I want to see what's going to happen. Every day brings nothing but new experiences. And isn't experience the spice of life? Good, bad or ugly...everything I've been through has led me to right here, right now...to the me that I am today. I can't live in the past. I can't live in the future. I can only live right now. And I want right now to be an exciting time. I want to learn something new about myself, about my surroundings, about...well...anything.

So go ahead and get off that old couch. Sit on the floor. Sit on the kitchen counter. Sit on the coffee table. Make yourself uncomfortable and see what happens. Talk to a stranger. Give someone your seat on the bus. Every path is different and exciting in its own way...so why travel the same one every single day? Curiousity (another 'ou' instance - I also don't use oxford commas...I'm only beginning to realize what a language rebel I really am) may have killed the cat, but it turned me into the person I am today. Do something different. Enjoy it. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow.

Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger

As always, thoughts, comments and suggestions are appreciated and encouraged! Thanks for stopping by.