About Conquering Fears...

Wednesday, August 31, 2011


Grandaddy!
Greetings Divas and Gents! And Happy Hump Day! Tonight, I would like to briefly share with you all a lesson I learned on this Hump Day. Today, my 72-year-old grandfather took his very first flight on an airplane…you heard me right! My grandfather who swore that he would never ever step foot on an airplane got on one today. From the very beginning, I was against it. I was worried that he would totally freak out once he got on a plane. I was concerned about high levels of anxiety and skyrocketing blood pressure. And I wasn’t alone!

My mother called me several times today to talk about Grandaddy’s impending flight…I can tell she was nervous too. My aunt, who took Grandaddy to the airport, packed his carry-on bag, complete with a newspaper, chewing gum, and crackers. She also stood at the security gate until he made it through the metal detectors, and disappeared from her view….she was nervous too. Everyone was nervous for him! Aunts, uncles, siblings, and cousins alike. But the one person who was not nervous was Grandaddy! I don’t know what made him change his mind about flying, but he was so cool about it. He was ready, so the rest of us had to get on board.



Cut to 5:30 this afternoon…Grandaddy landed safely in Charlotte, and I rushed to call him to get the scoop on his flight. The verdict: the airplane was too small; he left his gum in the car so his ears are clogged; the airplane taxied to the runway forever; he’s not getting on the plane anymore. And there you have it!

So what did I learn today? It is actually a really simple lesson. Today I learned that you are never too old to conquer your fears. Let that marinate for a second….I’ll wait….

Courtesy of Zazzle.com
How many times have you encountered a situation, both professionally and personally, when you have taken a step back out of fear? I have some fears that I have carried with me for most, if not all, of my life. When it comes to those fears, I share Grandaddy’s previous sentiment regarding flying: I will never ever do it! But how awesome would it be for us to face our fears? Now, I’m not saying that I will be making an appointment to go skydiving anytime soon, but I feel like I should never say “never”…after all, my 72-year-old grandfather took his very first flight on an airplane today!

Grandaddy is so amazing to me for conquering his life-long fear, and I am so proud of him for telling me and my other family members to chill out, and let him fly! Grandaddy has no clue how inspirational his decision was to me. You Go Boy!

So…there’s my lesson for today. What is one of your major fears in life? Do you think that you will ever conquer this fear? Let me know!

Disclaimer: Although I used the word "old" when discussing my lesson learned, please note that Grandaddy is not old...he is aged like fine wine...his words...thanks! 


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is so awesome that your grandfather took his first flight. It is funny how the generations change, my mom has never flown, I flew at 21, and my son flew at 7 months!
Okay back on track, conquering fears... I can't pinpoint what I would like to conquer at the moment, but swimming was a fear of mine for a long time. To be exact I have only been swimming for about a year and a half. And it is one of the greatest fears I have overcome....I just wish I had did it sooner. :)

Unknown said...

This was an awesome post! Love it. There have been many times I have chosen not to do something out of fear. But now, I realize that I only live once and at this moment- I am the youngest I'll ever be - so now, I just do it!!!

Sheedia @ InspirU CooCoo said...

Great story, good takeaway! At the present moment I do not know what my fears are. That is probably because when I realize that I have a fear, I usually ignore the fear factor and go for it. Also I don't tell people about my fears often, because then they will try to take it into consideration and make me focus on it even more.

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