White Dog Walks is about going out in nature and not listening to anything but my thoughts. It can produce all kinds of revelations. Today, I started thinking about fear.

No, not because a boogeyman was stalking me in the woods or because I’ve been listening to too many true crime podcasts (which I have), but because fear and anxiety is pervasive in our lives today. I wanted to give some thought as to why. 

It is a complicated question, so I started simply by observing what causes fear. One thing I noticed is that fear is usually imagined. Not to say it is not warranted, but in the large percentage of cases fear is manufactured by a situation or outcome you are worried about in the future…that doesn’t usually happen. 

On my walk, I met a man with his very mannerly dog. As we stood and chatted, his dog sat quietly by his side while my insane dog, Sitka, was spinning circles and barking. He told me he met a young, athletic man on the trail who literally climbed a mesh wire fence to “escape” this elderly gentleman and his dog. He was overcome with fear, yelling and cursing at the man to get away. Why? Because the dog is a Staffordshire Terrier, a bully breed like a pitt bull, and people fear any and all representatives of the breed. His fear was spawned by breed prejudice/reputation, not by any threat or potential threat from the dog. 

As Sitka and I set off along the trail, she suddenly froze in fear. Lurking behind a tree was a giant, black figure of Big Foot. It was ominous and looming just off the trail, ready to attack (she was sure!). I realized it was a plywood cut-out of Big Foot with a sign advertising some nature trail trivia game or such, but Sitka was not convinced it was not going to attack despite my reassurances it wasn’t real. She back-pedaled and spun, trying to avoid walking by it. My calm voice and confidence did little to ally her fear. Finally, perhaps because it had no smell and didn’t move, she walked by it. 

That experience made me think. Often when someone is upset, afraid, or anxious we offer platitudes such as “Oh, don’t worry, don’t be upset” which, in the end, do nothing to relieve the fear; indeed, it often amps up the emotions because it is so infuriating to have someone downplay your concerns and invalidate your emotions. But we all do it. 

It was my turn to be afraid when we arrived home. My garage door was open, allowing easy access to the house. Did I forget to shut it? I never forget. Did it bounce back open after I left (sometimes if the electric eye catches an item in the way it will do this.) When I go in the house, will I meet a murderer lying in wait? Will the house be ransacked and all my valuables stolen? The fear rushes through my mind and body on a stream of adrenaline. I told myself it was probably all okay. But I made sure my dog was by my side and the phone was in my hand when I opened the door. Spoiler: everything was okay. 

Fear shows up in many ways. Sometimes we go looking for it in horror stories and movies or by doom scrolling the news feeds. 

Fear shows up in the imagined future, while awaiting medical test results, trying to interpret a loved one’s terse reply, a phone ringing in the middle of the night. 

How do we cope with anxiety and fear, real and “imagined” in the form of worry? That’s a question I’m going to dig into for the next few months in preparation for a talk (sermon) I’m slated to deliver in October. 

As always, I’d love to read your comments on the topic of anxiety today and any solutions or means of coping with it. 

Thanks for reading!