slaying dragons

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"Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love."
~ Rainer Maria Rilke


When fear ruled and my life turned upside down a few years back, I found this quote and installed it as a scrolling marque screen saver on one of my home computers. It was comforting to believe that what frightened me at my core might not be anything to fear in the end.

Yesterday I slew a dragon and discovered there was nothing to fear. Hope and I took to the road with the intent of conquering the causeway. As I pulled into traffic from storage there was a tinge of apprehension. The wind was blowing hard.

Was this the right thing to do? Should I wait another day? Could I handle the higher highway speeds with the gusting air all around me?

Yes. I could.
Yes. I would.

The decision was made. I would not allow fear to rule me. I left that girl in hell when I moved home. The scared one. She wasn't allowed to control me anymore. She had already used up way too many years of my life.

The traffic was heavy as I inched my way off the island. As always, riding Hope felt like I was riding a cloud. The light at the underpass finally glowed green and we turned left towards the access road. No turning back. I took a deep breath in and exhaled. This was it.

Getting her up to speed was no problem. Merging traffic happened naturally. The wind gusts weren't any worse than along the ocean. She handled the whole process beautifully with grace and dignity. Self assured. She was calm and at home travelling down the road.

Piece of cake. I smiled. Zero to 60 in a few seconds flat. We were on our way to freedom.

After crossing over, I decided to ride for awhile. Spent four hours on the road with no agenda. Dropped in on family who had never seen Hope. Made my way down the road through Kemah and met a few guys along the way. Stopped and discussed bikes, future road trips and events.

It was all good. The causeway, at the end of the day, was nothing. A limit only in my imagination.

Fear.

What a powerful emotion if we allow it to control us. The dragon disappeared when action was initiated despite feelings of helplessness and anxiety. Calm and peace replaced it with the knowledge that there was nothing there to fear. My mind was at ease. My physical body at home. My soul at rest.

Fear will not be allowed to rule my new world. My life will not be immobile due to imaginary dragons. Life is too short to waste it being scared.

What do you fear? Embrace it, love it, act upon it and move forward. The dragon will transform into a thing of beauty with wings. All you have to do is love that which is inside of you... without allowing it to limit or control you.

Choose.
Choose you.
Choose to fly.

Life without limits...
Choose to live every moment...
Free.