One Art by Elizabeth Bishop

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster,

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three beloved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

-- Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) a disaster.

FEAR

We were once giggling children more pre-occupied with puppies and Barbies rather than constantly worrying about our weight or how sexually desirable we are. We used to wait in anticipation for our favorite cartoon to come on or to go jump in the lake with our friends. There was a complete sense of freedom and wonder. What happened?
As we grow older, we become obsessed with what is socially acceptable. We persuade ourselves that by avoiding the unknown we will be safe forever. Change is bad... it's unpredictable. We set up barriers that withhold us from blossoming and instead keep us trapped like a caged bird.
Throughout history, there have been individuals who stood up for their beliefs and embraced being different. Some of them lost their lives like Socrates or Martin Luther King Jr. but these are the figures we remember. They will remain immortal and although some may admire them we usually leave it at that. What would the others think if I shouted what I really thought? Think about it. If you swept away your fear at pivotal moments in your life maybe your life would be different. Those fantasies floating around in your head could come true. A moment of passion where you can hear " With Or Without You" playing in your head wouldn't be just wishful thinking. Who cares? What have you got to lose?
If nobody took chances and stayed at home drinking Coke on the couch wishing they were Meg Ryan or Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle nothing would happen. Life would come to a halt and there would be... nothing. Just millions of lost souls stuck in square one for eternity. Think about it... the fear. Think long and think hard.
What would our world be like today if there was no Sistine Chapel, no "Romeo and Juliet," no telephone or no planes?
The next time you feel the sharp tentacles of fear creeping up your spine just take a deep breath and do something you'll be smiling about later instead of being swallowed whole by regret and eating chocolate all by your lonesome.
Till next time...