A few weeks ago, I saw a mother at Sherrie's (my daughter) school. She was scolding her daughter for crying and wanting a sweet that every other child had received. They were standing in front of the school door, blocking the path of parents waiting to pick up their children. As the girl continued crying, the mother and grandmother couldn't understand why she was crying over a sweet.

  There is an old adage: There is nothing to fear but fear itself. It took me a long time to fully comprehend the truth of this – and only after I had new experiences, which terrified me initially.