Before I start, I have an opening statement:

FEAR SUCKS!

When I was little,

I never learned how to ride a bike

Because I was afraid to fall

To this day, I have never ridden a bike

Yes, you can laugh if you want to,

But I think that deep down somewhere,

You feel like you shouldn’t

Because you’ve all been in my boat before

You’ve been in my boat because you’ve felt the sensation

That turns your legs to jelly,

Your stomach to butterflies,

And makes you feel like you’ve been sucker punched by a close friend

FEAR SUCKS!

Yes, I know that you all know this

Because you’ve all done something irrational

Because that little voice in your head

Tells you that you’re not strong enough

Or sharp enough

Or brave enough

It fools you into thinking that you can’t do anything

That you can’t take charge

Or overcome the fear that presents itself like a untrustworthy friend

FEAR SUCKS!

Sometimes fear makes you do stupid things

Fear makes you afraid to stand up to people

To say something in anger

To say something that should have been said a long time ago

To yell STOP!

You’re making me angry!

You’re making me sad!

You’re making me cry in my bed at night

Because I don’t know how to tell you that

You’re making me feel hollow

Like a wooden soldier ready to take your command

You’re making me feel silent!

You’re making me feel invisible!

But I can’t say any of that for fear of their anger

I can’t speak up, though I’m tired of listening

FEAR SUCKS!

I heard the words from a song once,

“Fear, you don’t own me,

There ain’t no room in this story”

And I wish it was that easy

However, I know that I need my fear

Just like I need happiness, love,

Sadness, and loneliness

So next time you feel fear coming to give you doubt

Tell it to go away and don’t come out until you need it

Like I’m trying to do too

I wish I could write a letter to my fear

But for now, it’s just a pen pal I’ve never met in person

That I know I need to hold onto

Because it’s a part of who I am

Now that I think about it,

If I were to go back and change any of my moments of fear,

I think that I would still let that little girl fall off her bike

And never get back on it again

Because fear has made me who I am today

In conclusion, I have one closing statement:

FEAR SUCKS!