The Shadow
[Note from the Proprietor: This is one of an ongoing series of posts called Scenes From a Sidewalk. Want to know what it's all about? Follow that link to read the series introduction.]
“Who knows what evil lurks in the minds and hearts of men? The Shadow knows!”
- Byline from the classic radio series, “The Shadow”
The Shadow
It was a balmy summer’s eve, and the big cottonwood tree sighed quietly in the wind, causing an almost subliminal shiver in the sultry air. Small, numerous clouds like a flock of geese scudded silently across the sky, eclipsing the bright three-quarter moon’s light in a rhythm reminiscent of a roadside hotel sign: on, off, on, off…
I was about eight, and my dad had set up the tent in our backyard for my sister and me to camp out in. After an evening of pretending we were out in the wilderness (instead of our mundane suburban back yard), our parents had gone to bed, leaving us on our own for the night. As the sleeping bags were quite comfy – and I was almost positive there were no bears about – we lay ourselves down and drifted off to dreamland.
In the middle of the night, though, something woke me up. Naturally, I did what any kid my age would do: let my imagination take off like a Formula 1 racing car (sound of tires squealing). The clouds had gone by now, allowing the big summer moon to shine down on the scene like the floodlight from a police chopper. I cautiously eased my eyes up level with the bottom of the tent’s bug screened windows and peered intently out, half expecting to see burglars – or at least a werewolf or two – shuffling around outside.
Alas, all I could see were bright, moonlit patches mixed with deep shadows. Although the soft breeze caused the shadows to dance a bit, that was to be expected. As I intently scanned our perimeter, though, I suddenly noticed an odd-shaped shadow off to one side of the house, next to a large logustrum bush.
At first, I wasn’t sure what it was that caught my attention. But gradually the shape began to resolve itself into an astonishingly familiar – and incredibly terrifying shape: it was an actual bear, standing very still and looking right at me!
Needless to say, by now my little heart was beating a mile a minute. I found myself completely unable to breathe, and was suddenly drenched in a sticky cold sweat. My eyes were the size of saucers as I shakily grabbed my trusty flash light (all the while thanking my parents for making us keep one handy!) In a remarkable demonstration of bravado, I switched it on, brightly illuminating the (sound of terrified scream) bear rose bush next to the house!
That’s when it happened!
In the twinkling of an eye, that frightening shadow instantly transformed itself from a drooling, man-eating bear – into a plain old garden plant. And what’s more; when I turned the light off and looked again (just to check, y’understand), I not only couldn’t see the bear any more, but I couldn’t understand how I’d ever thought the shadow even looked like a bear!
Shadows and Substance
And now, back to the present…
On my daily mosey down the sidewalk one particularly sunny day, I encountered this shadow across my path. Through some odd quirk of the ol’ little gray cells, I was reminded of the above story from my childhood.
Funny how something as innocuous as a shadow can play tricks on you, isn’t it? I mean, that shadow practically had me on the ropes, if you get my meanin’. Until, that is, I turned the flashlight on. That’s when the clear light of reality set things right and put everything in its proper context.
And that’s the root of today’s lesson, y’all. I reckon that shadow is a good illustration of how we can allow fear to affect us.
See, when our situation is poorly-lit, if you get my meanin’, or when we can’t quite make out the nature of what’s comin’ our way; when the uncertainty reaches epic proportions – well, that’s when the ol’ imagination starts to fill in the blanks with whatever it likes, whether it makes sense or not.
Thinkin’ about that night in the backyard, I just have to laugh. I mean, c’mon; what were the odds that an actual, y’know, bear was out there in our back yard? Practically… astronomical, right? And yet, that bear was as real to me at that moment as this keyboard is under my flying fingers… until I faced it. Then it disappeared as softly as a snowflake, never to return.
Your Turn
Hey, all I can do is offer you a word of advice. Before you decide on a course of action, take some time to shine the light of reason on the situation. Get some feedback from a trusted advisor. Get some sleep! (And yes, you can!) The fact is, rarely are things as bad as they seem, especially in the heat of the moment.
What, out there in the world today, are your bears? Are you facing, like me, a potential layoff situation? Is the uncertainty starting to get to you, and you wonder how you’re ever goin’ to cope?
What do you do when you’re facing uncertainty? What do you do when you’re afraid?
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Photo: The Shadow, by Robert Hruzek
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14 responses so far
Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
What do I do when facing uncertainty or fear? Pray and try to come up with a plan of action and/or the right frame of mind. I sure do agree with you that our biggest fears are sometimes the products of our own imaginations!
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Premio Dardos Awards
I became particularly good at this when my son was a teenager. I remember one night when I couldn’t reach him on his mobile. I became totally convinced that the reason he was not answering was that he was lying mortally wounded on the road, surrounded by his friends, with the phone ringing, and none of his friends wanting to pick it up, answer it, and tell me what had happened.
I could see the whole scene playing out in front of me, like I was watching it on the TV news.
Not a single one of the more prosaic possibilities – phone dropped, music loud, busy talking, didn’t want to talk to me, phone lost… – came anywhere near so convincing. This was it. It was only seeing him in the flesh that talked me out of it. When I told him what I’d imagined he looked at me like I was a nutjob.
Amazing what tricks fear can play with our minds right enough…
Joanna Youngs last blog post..How Social Media Makes Giving Easy
@Brad – Y’know; the more I think about it, I wonder if the biggest fears we face are ALWAYS a product of our own imaginings… built on a kernel of reality, of course. But don’t we usually find it really easy to imagine the worst?
Prayer and self-examination are the ways to go, like you said.
@Joanna – Wow, you really ARE a “worry-wart”! I guess I can understand your concern as a mother, though. I mean, it’s sorta what mothers DO, right?
And I think you’re a nutjob, too. But in a nice way!
My fears are often very unconcrete and have to do with my health – losing my teeth, or hair (or both), stumble and break my bones and things like these. They are very unreal regarding the present state of my body but bad things might occur in future times. Everytime such kind of fear rises I tell myself: it is no use worrying about the future. My teeth / hair / bones are okay. Whenever bad things will happen I will be able to cope with them. This helps most of the time.
Ulla Hennigs last blog post..Once upon a Time There was a Station
I’m much less fearful now that when I was younger, although not to say immune. Typically it’s through prayer that helps me, and really pressing into the Lord’s presence until I hear His calming, reassuring voice. Many times the situations causing fear are very real and potentially very bad.
@Ulla – I think as we get older, that’s not very surprising. Such things concern us a lot more than they used to, eh, Ulla? but your way of handling them sounds good – just slap your fears aside and keep movin’, y’know?
@Val – Sounds like a great solution to me, Val! No safer place to be than in the Lord’s hands!
Robert,
I tag you!!!!! Stop by my blog read ‘I’ve Been Tagged’ for details.
Annies last blog post..I’ve Been Tagged!
Eek! I’ve been tagged!
Robert, you might think that I’m a little bit silly. However, every time when I’m facing a dilemma, I’ve pray to the god and looking for some directions…
Everyone of us do have fear. I have fear of rejection and I don’t want to hear gossip talking about my incapabilities.
This fears, just leave it to HIM and do some changes as well in your life.
Ligoy na Batas last blog post..Some Lessons Learned
@Ligoy – I couldn’t agree with you more, Ligoy! Thanks for dropping by the Zone!
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