As a follow up to my comments on the road to the Iraqi border and trusting your gut...I would like to make the following observation:
Sometimes, when we act out of fear, we deny ourselves some pretty great experiences.
Case in point. I was really nervous on that deserted road, in the middle of nowhere in my teeny tiny Toyota Corolla. In fact, I was very inclined to turn around. I probably should have turned around--because in reality it really wasnt wise to go alone. However. Should I have turned around, I would have denied myself the exhilarating feeling of doing something I was afraid of doing.
In addition, I would have not experienced the thrill of having some camels stick their heads in the open windows of my car, demanding food. And I would have missed the camel nuzzling me, encouraging me to feed him
Also--another important fact that I would have missed was the wonderful experience of communicating with the locals. My mom and I got totally lost on the roads that go nowhere, and are unmarked...and we had no choice but to ask for directions ( something that I was reluctant to do, as to not to draw attention to ourselves). Anyway, after driving around aimlessly for 2 hours, we had NO choice but to ask for directions, and the experience of connecting was quite charming. The men were very, very helpful, we were certainly an oddity, and a point of interest and we drew attention from most of the neighbours in the community. It was even suggested that we follow the man in his car and he would take us to the main intersection we were looking for.
Of course, we were also asked in for tea--a lovely offer, but we declined.
Here is my observation. If we live our lives in fear, we do nothing. Fear can paralyze us. If we venture out in fear, but with caution, and calculated risk, we open ourselves up to some pretty great opportunities and experiences--and somehow the fear, only adds to the enjoyment.
Kinda like riding a roller coaster ( where you dont get sick and throw up. )
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