Fear is temporary

Fear is temporary. Regret lasts forever.

If I were to explain this summer in a strategic plan, it would look like this:

Objective: to take risks that I would not regularly take

Impact: to overcome irrational fears

Output: take solo hikes that I previously wouldn’t have done alone.

This morning I set out for the Lewis and Clark National Forest to tackle three fears.

Fear #1: Driving on dirt roads without cellphone service.

Fear #2: Fear of heights.

Fear #3: Getting lost in the woods.

I faced down three fears today.

I drove over 20 miles on dirt roads into the Highwood Mountains.

I made it to the top of the mountain.

I completed the whole trail without a hitch.

It sounds like my day was a success, right? Well, not actually.

I added a new fear to my list. There were free range cows on the trail. The Black Angus mommas and their babies weren’t too amenable to sharing the trail with me. And those mommas are BIG!

Even though I completed the hike, I left my dignity on the trail. I tried clapping my walking sticks together. I tried acting assertive. I even tried having an in-depth conversation with the cows. Finally, the lead momma conceded a couple feet and allowed me to pass.

As I walked by, she gave me the stink eye. And when I finally felt like I had made it, she bellowed out a loud moo—probably just to see how high I would jump.

Once I was sure I was safely around the herd, I told the lead momma cow that I was going to eat a revenge steak for dinner.

(Lucky for her, I don’t like red meat.)