Taken at great personal peril while Napoleon flew off a staircase overhead.
Like almost every other adult on the planet, I fight fear pretty much all the time. These battles range from the small (will I be able to pay my bills?) to the large (will I ever feel good about myself?), and they drive me nuts.
When I was a kid, I don't remember having too many fears. There were things I was afraid of externally - notably werewolves and vampires, thanks to some movie I watched behind my mother's back - but on the inside, there was nothing I felt I couldn't do. My mother had instilled a belief that anything was possible.
It took thirty years to build up fears to the contrary.
I spent this weekend with Samantha, my closest friend of 21 years, and her son, Napoleon, who's 11. Napoleon is a pretty amazing kid - he's bright and funny and charming and, most of all, he's fearless. It's not just the physical stuff, like skateboarding, it's the core belief he has in himself.
I'm not saying he's perfect - he's not - and he's well aware of the issues he does struggle with. But Napoleon attacks every moment with a sincere love of being alive. He holds nothing back and expects just as much in return.
Maybe, if I'm lucky, some of that rubbed off on me. A little fearlessness would go a long way these days ... a long way, indeed.
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