Fear is often unavoidable. There’s no shame in being afraid. It’s said that bravery is not about being without fear, but acting with integrity in spite of fear. But there’s so much to be afraid of, so many things that could do us harm, or do us in, that there’s really no point in being afraid of any particular thing.

There’s a piece of magical thinking that it’s our paranoia that keeps us alive. If I worry enough about cancer or that a bee that might sting me, it won’t happen and I’ll be safe. Rather unlikely it really works that way, but I’m sure the moment I stop worrying about X, Y, or Z, it’s sure to get me.

Might as well live our lives as best we can and deal with the inevitable rough twists in the road of life as they come. Fear is unavoidable, inevitable, but there’s no point in being afraid.