October 5 on 5: Fear

My daughter and I recently visited our city's Butterfly House.  With her love of all things butterflies and flowers, you would think we would go every week.  The reality though, is that she is scared of them.  You read that right - she is scared of butterflies.  Each visit we have made, I have spent more time holding and consoling her than enjoying time together.  However, I was determined to help her see that there is nothing to be afraid of, so off we headed, hand in hand.

It took some time and patience.  Thirty minutes to be exact.  Thirty minutes of walking and sitting and holding and pointing and finding colors and talking and flower smelling before suddenly, she was brave enough to approach one on the path!  It was so much more than a sweet moment, it was HER moment of overcoming fear!

And it wasn't just once!  It was again and again!  Getting close enough to notice details and colors and be in awe.  And once that fear was overcome, it was time to notice all of the other little things she had missed before, like the letters she could read or all the spaces she could spin in!!

The path to overcoming isn't ever easy, no matter how small or big our fears are.  But sometimes, I think we miss the beauty of the journey because our fears hold us back.

It really is freeing to overcome a fear, isn't it?  To realize that what you were afraid of all along wasn't nearly as bad as you thought it was.  And that, maybe, overcoming it gives you a chance to notice the details you missed and you can be filled with a whole new joy.

Alright - it's blog hopping time.  Are you ready??!  Click the link below and make sure you complete the circle to come back to me!

Jenny at Sycamore Lane Photography

And if you've never seen Jenny's work before with Sycamore Lane Photography, you really do need to do yourself a favor and spend some time on her blog!  Her images are so amazing!