How I turned the Beast of Fear into a friend for life

The Journey began as I toddled around the yard

The Great Beast lumbered toward me.

Black. Huge. Unpredictable. Dangerous.

Then it was gone.

Just like that.

What remained, the Memory, grew.

And soon became a Fear.

A Fear of Dogs.

All. Dogs.

The thing about a fear is, it is not rational.

Whilst it may be based in something very real,

caution perhaps

It manifests.

The fear overwhelms the warning

No longer rational

I recoiled from even the sweetest of dogs.

With the help of a friend,

I came to tolerate dogs.

I learned to care for them.

The fear was gone, but a repulsion remained.

I could not touch.

I pushed myself.

Another friend showed me how to Accept a dog.

Then one day.

The repulsion was gone.

What remained was a Future.

One without fear.

One with joy.

One with Understanding.

I understood ‘dog people’.

Fear and Repulsion were replaced

With Understanding

and

with

Love.