Facing Your Fears

by G.Parker

I bought a scooter this past week.

It's something I never thought I'd do. We looked at the number of drivers in our home, vs the vehicles available, and it seemed like the smartest option -- let alone the gas savings. However...this is me on two wheels, something I'd never thought would happen.

I kind of like scooters. If you've ever ridden a motorcycle you understand the principles of leaning and not interfering with the driver -- both things that I've always had trouble with. I trust my husband with my life, until we get on a motorcycle, and then the fear takes over. Scooters, on the other hand, are more on my level.

This past month as we've looked at and test driven various scooters, I've come to find them fun. Lower to the ground than the usual motorcycle, they are definitely lower than bikes (which I haven't been able to ride without panic since my mission...ugh! ) and feel more controllable. The speed bit kind of gets to me, which is funny because if I am I'm not careful, I tend to speed when driving.

But I decided fear was getting in the way of reality. I was letting it get the best of me.

I think a lot of times as writers we do the same thing. The 'what if's' freeze our fingers as they are poised over the keyboard. What if no one likes it? What if I can't get an agent? How will I ever get published? What if I'm no good?

The only way to get past the fear is to push yourself out of your comfort zone.

I'm not really comfortable with riding a scooter to work, especially now that my work is 10 miles rather than the 2 it was, but I'm determined to do it. I know it's reasonably safe, I've seen several other people riding them around town, so I'm going to bite the bullet and just do it.

The same thing needs to be done with my writing. I have pretty much stopped writing for the past two months. I have no desire and unfortunately right now, I don't care. I know that will change soon, but at this point, that's how it stands. Once again, I'm going to have to push myself.

For now, I'm working on breaking through my fear factor. What is your worst fear?