There’s a Monster in Your Closet

This is a short creative musing I put up on Medium a few months ago. If you enjoy it I have many more under @StepIntoTheRoadBlog.

Imagine your parents told you that the monster in your closet was real. Would they be doing you a favor or not? Because I don’t believe they’re lying. Sure there may not be a literal Sully and Mike in your closet, but something is going on there. Something that’s keeping you from sleeping, keeping you worried, and something letting your fear off of its leash.

If your parents admitted to you that there was a monster in the closet they’d at least be admitting nothing is wrong with you. And that’s valuable! The fear you’re noticing is real. No one is questioning that anymore. Now it’s time to face it.

Knowing it’s there and facing it isn’t easy. But at least you’re on a level playing field with the monster. He knows you’re there and you know he’s there. And that puts you at an advantage. You have the power to put the fear in its place. 
Note that you’re not defeating it. No, that’s like fighting fire with fire. The fear isn’t going to go away. Your parents should have tacked that on to the end of their admittance that there’s a monster in your closet. It’s a far better representation of reality.

There’s a monster in the closet, and he’ll be there for the rest of your life. Now go to sleep anyway.

Find Peace in Progress,
Nicholas Licalsi
2019–03–06

Here are a few more of my favorites:

• What’s the difference between laziness and relaxing?
• The Toll of Feeling Dumb
• The Curse of All Day
• Finding The Easy Inside
• The Complexity of Big Projects