Fear or freedom?

Copywriting

Of course, we all say, “I choose freedom!” But do we?

Every time we say “I can’t…” we are giving into fear – fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of looking stupid.

I just returned from 3 weeks, 8000kms drive Mansfield-Darwin return with my son. By the time we left I was carrying the burden of other people’s fears. “It’s a looong way” they said, “The petrol is twice the price.” Someone hinted we might get mauled by wild dogs, “Make sure you stay on the right side of the dog fence.” Others warned of breaking down, victim to the next axe murderer that drove past, or dying of thirst or exposure. I’m not kidding, only very few people said “Go for it, you’ll love it!”

I comforted myself by remembering how we had loved our time in China after similar fears had been levelled at us – “You’re taking you son to China?” If experience had taught me anything it had taught me that fear is a liar, that the fear of the journey is usually more painful than the journey itself.

Nevertheless it got to me, the fear, and I drove out of country Victoria full of foreboding. It made the early part of my journey harder than it needed to be, carrying that heavy load… (The metaphor now so clear to me, the burden of fear is so debilitating…)

SA sees the lighter side of traffic control
But by the time we had passed a few amusing road warning signs (in South Australia, Victoria’s heavy-handed ‘Fatigue kills’ signs are replaced by ‘Dont drive like a…’ signs with a picture of a rooster, dumbbell or a w-anchor) I too began to lighten up. By Coober Pedy I was entranced by the different accents, adventures and possibilities playing out before our eyes. By Alice the space, the giant dome of sky and far far horizons had reminded me I was but an insignificant blip, filling me with a sense of enormous inner space and freedom.
We spent two days at Alice, resting up, and the rest of the trip to Darwin and back was fearless. We travelled the open roads and open hearts of people along the way, people as generous as the frangipani scented breeze in Darwin, their dreams and ours vivid and clear as peering into a rock pool…

Back home and I carry that sense of freedom with me, into my work as a writer and plans for the future, conversations and creations, thankful for the journey from fear to freedom, reconnected once again with pure inspiration – my own and other’s.