Mirror, Mirror
a brief interlude
Some fears manifest in reality so rarely that you can only pinpoint a few distinct moments where you’ve actually encountered it. Some never happen at all. But some fears, like broken glass, are commonplace. You can lose track of how often you’ve faced off with such a fear. The obvious downside here is encountering fear on a more frequent basis. Though, I would argue that there is a silver lining here that can be useful. That silver lining comes in the form of exposure.
I’m not bringing up exposure because I think it might be a cure for fright. If you’re scared of heights, I’m won’t be advocating you sign up for skydiving. Rather, it is tool for comparison born out of unfortunate circumstances. Breaking down a fear takes time and a practiced eye. The more you are exposed to it, the more chances you have to examine it. Each new broken glass gives me a near mirror image of a fear I’ve already experienced. Yet I am in a different space and time. In that place between what is similar and what is different, there is something I can use.