Fear

It amazes me how fear can effect so many in very different ways. Fear is such an explosive word only consisting of four-letters. Who would think that such a small word could mean so much?

The Merriam-Webster definition of fear states:
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English fer, from Old English f[AE]r sudden danger; akin to Old High German fAra ambush and perhaps to Latin periculum attempt, peril, Greek peiran to attempt
1 a : an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger b (1) : an instance of this emotion (2) : a state marked by this emotion
2 : anxious concern : SOLICITUDE
3 : profound reverence and awe especially toward God
4 : reason for alarm : DANGER
synonyms FEAR, DREAD, FRIGHT, ALARM, PANIC, TERROR, TREPIDATION mean painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger. FEAR is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage . DREAD usually adds the idea of intense reluctance to face or meet a person or situation and suggests aversion as well as anxiety . FRIGHT implies the shock of sudden, startling fear . ALARM suggests a sudden and intense awareness of immediate danger . PANIC implies unreasoning and overmastering fear causing hysterical activity . TERROR implies the most extreme degree of fear . TREPIDATION adds to DREAD the implications of timidity, trembling, and hesitation .

Fear affects us at any age. It holds no boundaries of color, size, or gender. As humans we let fear consume us. We are often afraid to face our fear(s). Some have no choice to face their fear(s). One can be afraid of disease, water, heights, light, roller coasters, spiders or the dentist to name a few. The list goes on and on..... literally.

My daughter expressed her feelings of her fear she has last night. She is afraid to see her loved ones in pain. The sight of blood. A faint "ouch". An imbalance. She is the first person to show concern. She will try to console her special loved one.

I found it very difficult to console her as I know she is scared, but I don't know how to calm her nerves. I am going to be having surgery soon. The fact that she knows what will happening to me scares her. Knowing about her fear I scheduled an appointment for her to face her fear in a controlled environment. We are going to take a tour of a hospital. I hope it works and calms some of her nerves. I hope she knows that everything will be ok. I will be ok. But most importantly, she will be ok, and she will have an accomplished fear.