A Tiger Under the Bed

A dear friend once told me a story about when she was really little. She was afraid of a tiger living under her bed.  Her memories were of calling her father to come and chase the tiger away, but she would lay there later on thinking about it, afraid that if she stepped down from the bed it would get her. I often think of her and her story. I know that in our early age there is often a fear of something, whether it is a tiger or the boogie man, that is going to jump out and get us.

This memory of her story brought to my attention this week the understanding that fears can make us miserable if we let them get out of hand. Like a rabbit, we may be too afraid to make a move as we build our fear into something as big as a ferocious tiger.  In those moments, deep emotional pain can add to our suffering because of the imaginary restrictions and consequences that we place on ourselves and others.

I am not saying that fear is something to be taken lightly. There are times that our fears can warn us of danger, and help reveal deep inner truths about ourselves. What I do want to point out is that it can be just as important to investigate what it is that keeps us from moving forward or causes rifts in our relationships. By taking the cover off our head and looking to see if that original fear is an actual truth in our lives, or something that we created for ourselves, can be like turning on the light and recognizing that in most cases we don't have anything to fear but fear itself.

Photographs by Steve Noyce