A few evenings ago I sat down with a glass of bubbly and an excellent friend. A favourite combination. We talked about all the myriad things that such friends talk about, from the sublime to the ridiculous. It took almost 5 hours to get through the list, if we even did.
One thing we agreed on? To be less afraid. Less afraid of people, of mistakes, of getting things wrong. Not fear-less, that would be pathological. Just ... less afraid. I told her I would make it a resolution for 2012, my theme for the year. When we are afraid, we hide, we live our lives under cover and in the dark, ruled by our own internal version of the bogeyman. Which isn't really living at all.
The ancient Persian poet Hafez puts it this way: Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.
