"The Scared Is Scared"

Have you seen this video? It's nearly eight minutes long, but worth it. I promise. My favorite part begins around the 4:50 mark when Asa, the storyteller, shares his method for getting rid of fear.

About fifteen minutes after I put Liza to bed last Friday night, she began screeching my name at the top of her lungs and sobbing. Taking the stairs two at a time, I got to her as soon as I could.

"What's the matter?" I asked.
"I'm afraid...of how dark it is when I close my eyes, " she hiccuped.

Parenting requires a lot of quick thinking (oftentimes to be rehashed in my head later, wondering if I did/said the right thing). In this instance, I'm sure I did. Thankfully I remembered Asa's wisdom that Scared is scared of things you like. So, I told her just that...

"Well, Scared is scared of things you like. Can you tell me some things you like?"
She began her list, "macaroni...and cheese...chocolate...art supplies!...Mrs. Moore (her teacher)...Ent (her stuffed elephant)...playing in my kitchen...milk...strawberries...music and dancing!...ponies...hearts!"

It worked. I kissed her goodnight, left her to continue her list, and didn't hear from her again until morning.

Before dawn on Saturday, I laid in bed wide awake. I wasn't scared, but I was frustrated at not being able to fall back to sleep. Guess what? Frustration and sleeplessness are scared of the things I like.

...Dark chocolate...bookstores...snuggling...red wine...yoga...a hot bath...poetry...napping...baked goods...chai...journals...fine dining...flickering candles...