Fear of new things is real! During this quarantine situation, I'm walking my dogs daily as I always have, but things are different. We've been up and down every street in our subdivision countless times, and we've gotten bored.
The other day I decided to take them outside of the subdivision, and I noticed pangs of fear rising inside me. Even though we'd become bored with our regular route, it's familiar. Familiarity feels comfortable; trying new things forces us to face the unknown and face fear head-on.
Trying a new walking route doesn't instill a tremendous amount of fear in me, so I don't want to be overly dramatic about it, but when walking dogs, any loose dog we might encounter is a potential threat.
Going outside of our subdivision meant heading into an uncharted walking territory. Will there be more loose dogs out there? There is more traffic, so if my dogs were to get free, the danger to them is increased, something I don't want.
It's been a few days now, and we have a new familiar. The new route is not scary anymore; we know where the dogs live and that they are secure behind fences. The higher vehicle traffic is manageable due to sidewalks and crosswalks; we love it!
This situation is a good comparison for being thrust into anything new in life, such as the current pandemic. Everything has changed for everyone. It's a time of firsts - some good, many not so good.
Try to remember that this new thing will become familiar even as it morphs into different realities for everyone. I firmly believe more good will come out of it than bad. Try to keep your fear of the unknown and all those potential threats to a minimum. Keep your loose dog (fear) secure behind good fences.