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My parents named me Meri.It's Finnish for "the sea". So, one might ascertain that my salty name makes me a natural on a sailboat, right? Wrong! And just because my Finnish ancestors were sea savvy sailors doesn't mean I have the genetic knack or even a smidgen of innate confidence when it comes to sailing. It doesn't mean that the ocean doesn't scare the crap out of me!When my husband announced that his life long dream was to sail on the bright blue sea with my two children and me I thought I might be nightmaring. It was garish and terrifying.
My biggest fears were the old cliché - fears of the unknown. It dawned on me that Fear's power lies in his manipulations that intimidate us from doing things that might actually enhance our lives. Fear does not want us to be successful or try new things. Once I realized that this sailing dream of my husband's was very real to him, I worked diligently to overcome the things that might keep me from keeping him from his dreams. I wondered what Fear might look like as a person. I visualized standing face-to-face with Fear. I stood my ground and shook my fist at Fear. I gave him the stink eye. I did my best Clint Eastwood imitation and told Fear to go pester some other scaredy cat. I dared Fear to keep me from living a full life. And finally, I threatened to expose Fear for the bully he really is.
I armed myself with an arsenal of knowledge and surprisingly soon my fear was replaced by excitement!
We are full-time cruisers and have been cruising for almost 3 years.
And as for Fear, he visits me rarely anymore now that I view him as my worst nightmare.
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