I remember when I was young, I woke in the night sweaty and terrified of the creatures lurking in the darkness. I would hold on to the bed sheets, as if the soft cloth was impenetrable. I could stare off to the side of the room and see a figure form out of the black molded shadows. A man, tilted sideways so you can see his protruding long nose and rain hat. What was that? I would blink my eyes again and again. New shapes took place. A small head, peaking from under my pile of folded clothes. It felt so real, that presence. Someone or something was there.
As I sit here as an adult, a full-fledged “grown up” now, I wonder how or why this strange phenomenon of instinctual fear is so strong in children. I wonder why I felt this way.
No matter the reason or the “truth” behind these strange intuitive waves of fear, I know my senses are real. I am not a floating buoy in a sea with no start or end. I am guided, pulled in a direction that is felt by me and is known by the all-knowing. Now, the pitch-darkness of my night-time routine lulls me to sleep, like a baby encapsulated in the safety of the womb.
The days and nights roll by, and I am blessed to find moments of tranquility in the rhythm of existence. But, I am not immune to the darkness that subtly tries to take us all.
Slips of confusion. Aches of nervousness for the inevitable. Pains for peace. I am human and so are you. Listen to the feelings, learn. Don’t forget your scared child who hid under the blankets for cover. That intuition is so important in our world. Where numbness is the new main vein. We are born gifted, and just like we turn to the light, we can also turn to the dark, and face the abyss together. Just remember.
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