Don’t Let Fear of the Unknown Take a Bite

I was listening to Pandora this morning when English crooner George Ezra’s song “Shotgun” started playing. It’s one of those bouncing melodies that just can’t help but make me happier, especially after being greeted this morning by my umpteenth job application denial in my email inbox.

I decided to check out the video on Youtube. It’s minimalist and cute, with George finding himself in various predicaments. In one of them, he is sitting on an upside-down rowboat with a shark’s fin circling in the water around him–a perilous situation no doubt. The next scene cuts to the underside of the capsized boat and we see a scuba diver holding a stick. On the end of the stick is the shark fin. Other than some sun exposure, dehydration and lack of food, George was going to be fine.

This got me thinking about life and the not-so-great situations we can find ourselves in. The moment can seem perilous, as if the sharks are circling. We can feel despair, hopelessness and that feeling of being stuck. I know that I felt that way when I was in the throes of PTSD-like symptoms following my accident in the I-35W bridge collapse many years ago.

But one thing that George can teach us is that while the situation might not be rainbows and puppies, we also can’t see the entirety of the situation from our vantage point. If we could, we might find that the scary shark really isn’t the scary shark we thought it was. I’m not trying to minimize any situation, but I do want you to re-evaluate a particularly tough situation you may find yourself in. Does the fret match the true severity of the situation? What can you do TODAY to help improve the situation?

You are on a path. We all are. And sometimes we cannot see around that bend and what might be lurking. It could be a shark, but it could also be a bouncing melody.

Now go check out that song.