Danger: the possibility of suffering harm or injury. What
frightens us the most is the uncertainty that its presence brings. However, a sound
mind can overcome these impulses of fear to make the best of a dangerous
situation.
I put this theory to the test one summer at my family’s lake
house. I had woken up before the others and rather than sit around waiting for
my dad to rise and make his famous French toast, I decided to wander down to
the dock to admire the morning breeze and rippling waves.
The porch swing swayed along with the dock every time a boat
passed. As I approached the beckoning seat my foot caught the loop of a hose
and I went stumbling off the side as time seemed to stand still. I knew what
was awaiting me at the end of my fall.
My back struck the metal boat lift and my body turned to
stone. I began to panic as my limbs refused to obey my desperate commands. My
thoughts began to cloud as the immediate danger plagued my every thought.
That’s when it clicked; a situation is only as dangerous as you allow it to be.
With a clearer mind, I rolled onto the lift to realize that, although my back
would be heavily bruised, my temporary paralysis was merely the effect of shock.
