War is hell. You can’t photograph a flying bullet, but you can capture genuine fear.

This week I’m thinking about fear in the context of the world right now.

We are surrounded by so much hysteria, anxiety and confusion about what is happening and what is to come.

I listened to Ekhart Tolle the other day talking about fear and anxiety in terms of adversity.

Fear he suggests is what we sense is coming. In the present, the now, what we feel is anxiety about the present, and that manifests itself in fear of the unknown.

How then do we live in the present with so much gloom and doom descending on us?

One of the situations we are all facing is the stay at home request imposed by most governments.

For me, that is an easy one as I stay at home most of the time anyway. But when it comes time to go to the shops, to get life’s necessities I have a dilemma. I am one of life’s at-risk people, I have a chronic disease. I could easily stay locked up in my house, but I know that’s not always a healthy thing to do. Yes, I am anxious about going out, I fear contracting this virus.

The fear of all this happening is what I project upon myself. Anxiety is what I feel in the here and now.

So, I have decided to change a few habits, normally I would go to my local Aldi store today, Sunday, but from experience, I know it will be crowded this morning. So, I shall go tomorrow, based on the belief the store may not be as crowded as will be today. It’s been pleasing that panic buying seems to have settled down, thanks to the shops placing limits on how many of anything you can buy. A sensible idea I think.

The fear of what the future holds is real, but despite the potential gloom and doom, life carries on. There are still people who need us, love us and care for us. And maybe do my shopping???

Written for: https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2020/03/26/reenas-exploration-challenge-128/