Angles In The Extreme

The Sinful Sunday prompt for august is “Extreme Angles”. I had a few ideas for what to share, but then I got the edits back from Moonscape and decided that I would share this image.

I think I’ve altered the prompt to “Angles in the Extreme”.

Ankle deep mud, rotting tree roots and a big spider hiding in the moss near my foot. The final obstacle made me nervous, and shows in some of the raw pictures. But I was brave, and apologised to the spider for almost crushing it. We managed to coexist briefly, before I hopped away, leaving the spider and its home in peace. It brought to mind the following quote:

“The state of minds vary according to the angle under which one examines them”

Ella Maillart

It is very rare that I am paralysed by fear these days.

However, just last week I was set a task which takes me in a new and terrifying/unknown direction. I trust him to always have my best interests at heart, but he only ever shows me the first step of the staircase, and each time we change direction the mountain we have to climb is a little bit higher. Even for an ultra runner, this is terrifying!!

After 2 days of horrendous anxiety I told him how I was feeling.

His response helped me shift my perspective, relax into it, and submit. By changing the angle, my mind was able to process things a little easier, let go of all the “what if…” scenarios and allow my submission to take over. It wasn’t him that I needed to trust in this next phase, it was me. To trust that I am enough, that I am ready, and that I may well fluff up, but that’s ok. He will be there to catch me if I fall. He always is.

But the spider didn’t run over my foot as I balanced between the trees.

And I hope that this task is as exciting as it is scary.

The thing is it’s OK to be afraid. It’s even a good idea to talk about those fears with people you trust. And, in my world, each time I face a fear I grow. 20 years ago I’d have thrown up at the spider being that close. Marrying P saw me saving the lives of spiders in the face of a screaming man. I may be scared of them but they don’t need to die for the cause! And now, as a woodland nimph I have found a respect for them, which means I am not going to pass on my phobia to my two children.

Changing the viewing angles in extreme moments makes my world easier to process.

Here are a couple more posts on my fears that you might enjoy: Feel the fear and do it anyway, and Faith Over Fear.