> Practical Family Living

On a recent trip out west, my daughter asked if she could ride a bull. Thinking it was a mechanical bull in which there was padding all around and plenty of safety precautions, Dad said yes. It was not until we were in the stands waiting for her in which we realized it was not a mechanical bull. We watched breathlessly as she climbed on the real bull and waited as more experienced riders tied her rope. The bull had an unusually large hump, so it ended up taking three other riders to tie the rope correctly. All the while, my anxiety was rising; she appeared to be calm. Although the ride only lasted three seconds before she was thrown off, it was long enough for me. Afterward, I asked her if she was afraid at all when she was on the bull. She answered, “yeah, I was afraid but I just decided to find the courage to overcome my fear.” Seems like good advice - to focus on increasing courage to overcome obstacles instead of trying to decrease the fear of an obstacle.