yesterday, i read the gift of fear, by gavin de becker.

first, i decided that everyone should read it. then, i decided that i need to buy a bunch of copies and give them away to people i love, especially my sisters. then, i couldn’t help but wish that my dad had given it to me when i was younger and that all dads would give copies of it to their daughters. then, i decided that if i had to restrict myself to only one book recommendation, ever, it would be this book.

it’s about trusting the presence of true fear and your intuition to alert you to potential violence and danger so that you don’t have to let unwarranted fear rule your life.

i think it’s important. especially if you are like me and things like “but i have to be nice!” or “what if i’m judging them!” or “but i’ll look silly!” might get in the way of listening to your intuition.

the interesting thing for me is that i do feel physically safe most of the time, even in places where other people don’t feel safe. i thought it meant that i was naive and over-trusting. but i realized that it is also true that the times in my life when i felt the presence of fear (true fear, not worry or anxiety that feel like fear), i paid attention to it and did something, even though in at least one instance, i felt like i was probably making something out of nothing and felt very silly about listening to the fear and leaving.

now, i am thinking less about being naive and more about being willing to listen to that signal when it appears.

i do feel better equipped to protect myself from violence after reading this book. i only wish i had read it sooner.