When challenged, what story do you tell yourself so that you move towards what you want as well as away from what you are afraid of?

I was a six year old wild child. My parents tried to tame me by warning me about all the terrible threatening things in the world that could hurt me. On the surface, I ignored or defied them, but late at night their fears took root in my mind and strangled my dreams. One Friday morning, I asked my precious grandmother, who had escaped from the Cossacks and didn't seem to be afraid of anything how she had learned to be so brave. She lifted my fingertips to her wrinkly warm lips one by one, kissing them as she whispered, "I've told you that each print proves what a precious one-of-a-kind being you are, worthy of great care. Never again will there be another such as you. So pay attention to the warnings and protect the miracle of your life. " Pausing, she stretched out my arm so and pointed it straight ahead. "Move away from what you are afraid of if it threatens you, but also remember to move towards what you want to give to the world." Before I could unleash a long string of questions, she placed my palm on the center of my chest and said, "Think of it as a riddle, my darling, because every riddle is a bridge to what you are here to make possible."

Photo by Joyce Chin (copyright 2019)