Do not Live Your Life in Fear

Introduction

Have you ever been afraid of something? Do you know the feeling when fear makes your whole body shiver? Have you ever been in the depths of despair? In case you are reading this and cannot grasp my point, then you are a lucky person. However, in most cases, people live in constant fear of something. It can vary from a simple creature to broader concepts such as the fear of being lonely or the fear of darkness. Frankly speaking, I have always been a coward, fearing almost everything in the world. There were millions of thoughts in my head like, what if I do not get into the university, what if I do not pass the exam, what if the parcel I ordered from abroad is not delivered on time. I know that it may sound ridiculous, but this is who I am. Although I believed that the situation with my emotional experience was at its peak, this summer, I realized it could be worse.

Do Not Live Your Life in Fear

My last vacation was spent in the mountains with my family. It was fantastic. Just imagine living in a comfy cottage, breathing in the fresh air, listening to the sounds of nature, and wandering in the forest. It was a dream. Yet, this positive experience is now associated with deep sorrow. The next day I came back home, I learned that my grandfather was seriously ill. In fact, he was terminally ill. Doctors could not tell precisely how long he was going to live. They said that it could vary from a few days to a few months. He managed to live for only three weeks, out of which two weeks he could not even get up or eat. I felt awful being unable to help him or lessen his suffering. Only three weeks... I wanted to spend as much time as possible with him, but time does not wait. He passed away at night.

During those three weeks, I lived in fear of death. I lost my appetite. I lost my sleep, and finally, I lost my belief in a happy future. If I did manage to get a few hours of sleep, I had nightmares that terrified me. It was extremely difficult to brace myself for his death. Perhaps it was because he was a very good-hearted person with a challenging fate. My grandfather was born in 1945. Already in the womb, he became an orphan. The war took his father, so he never knew him by face. Everything he knew was from his mother’s stories.

Growing up in a family without a father was very difficult. He started working immediately after graduating from school. He was a strong support not only for his widowed mother who stayed faithful but also for his older sister. Her life was not easy as well. Being a kind man, my grandfather helped everyone who was in need. His death saddened many people who knew him. Living in fear is devastating. I was physically and emotionally drained. I could hear that someone was crying. I thought it was me. In fact, I misheard. The problem was in my head. Those sounds did not leave me until his death. It was difficult not only for me but for my whole family. His death brought us a time of great sorrow. However, we try to resign ourselves to the inevitable and go on living.

Conclusion

One thing I know for sure is that my life will never be as it was before my grandfather’s death. This event had a profound impact on my personality. As people say, one never knows what the future holds. I drew one very important lesson from my grandfather’s death. I have understood that there is no need to worry about tomorrow. Worries are no good since they break our soul into small pieces. Thus, in my life, there is no place for fear. Furthermore, the family is the most precious value in a person’s life. It is necessary to spend as much time as possible with one’s family members. Moreover, time does not wait, and tomorrow may be too late. That is why I live each day as if it is the last one. Do not live your life in fear. Enjoy every minute of it and keep calm.

References:
Smith, J. (2020). Living Without Fear. New York: HarperCollins.
Doe, A. (2019). "Facing the Unknown: Embracing Life's Uncertainties." Journal of Personal Growth, 15(3), 45-67.