Dogs & Fear

I went to visit a friend a few weeks ago

I came home with a huge colorful bruise

I should probably stop here

It wasn’t near as dramatic as it sounds

Well at least to me it wasn’t

 

I was standing there waiting on the dog to sniff me

Instead of just sniffing he lunged forward and bit my stomach

It all happened so quickly all I could do was laugh

However I was the only one standing there laughing

Everyone else thought it was a super serious thing

 

I’ve always called bruises and scars battle wounds

Now I just had another battle wound to show off

And a cool new story to tell that has earned lots of gasps and laughs

 

I’ve told this story lots since leaving my friend’s house and coming home

I have kind of become a broken record

I ask if they want to see something cool

Then I tell the story and lift my shirt to show the bruise

It’s quite comical to gauge how people will react

 

But really that’s the only time I give it thought

The room is quite and needs some livening up

So I offer up a fun story of how I was bit by a dog

 

At least that was the only time I thought it ever crossed my mind

I have recently realized how wrong I was

Multiple times since being home I’ve walked down my driveway to the mailbox

Every time I get to a certain point two decently sized dogs begin to bark

They make their way for me and I notice my steps becoming quicker

I try my hardest to not make eye contact

I fix my eyes on the mailbox walking briskly by this point

Shoving the letter in the mailbox I quickly make a move back towards my house

 

You should know I have never been afraid of dogs

I am not an animal lover

But I have never been fearful of them

 

Until this incident happened

And unknowingly at the time created a fear of dogs in me

I had become someone who walked fast to try to escape the dogs

I was now changing the path I took to go running to avoid the scary animals

 

Fear had overcome me

Sure it was a super simple fear

But in a part of my life it was controlling my actions

I had been out for a run and was topping the hill

About to see my driveway and be finished for the day

When I hear it

The barking of the dogs

 

I am about to change my path back to the house to avoid the dogs

When I think of how ridiculous all of this is

If I don’t face this fear it will continue to control my actions

 

So instead of going a different direction

Or looking down so I don’t make eye contact

I look straight ahead at the dogs and walk towards them

The closer I get the less the dogs bark

Until finally they quit barking and quietly walk alongside of me

 

I made it back to the house without another battle wound

But there was still a cool story

 

I learned a lot about fear that day

I learned that if I don’t face my fears I’m going to let fear dictate my actions

If I don’t look fear in the eyes and stare it down it will alter my path

And that’s just not going to happen anymore

 

What fears are controlling you?