The Boogie Man is real? What are we afraid of? He is but a figment of our imagination. An underdone bit of something or other. Is he just that? The Boogie Man is dark, foreboding, menacing, joy stealing, laughter smothering. Nightmares are the stuff of the Boogie Man.

Fear. It can be so real. It takes shape. It becomes a knot in your stomach. A dark cloud over your head, in your heart. The Boogie Man. Snatching your joy and interfering with your fun.

Fear. Squeezes the very seed of life out of you. Fear makes you anxious. Fear makes you stop on your path. Fear steals your courage. Fear etches out your very soul. Fear paralyzes. The darkness becomes all encompassing once it has gained a foothold in the deepest crevices of your mind. It twists and disguises any joyous inkling. What if it isn’t good enough? What if no one likes you? What if you don’t have what it takes? What if he doesn’t love you? What if your best just isn’t enough? What if no one respects you? What if no light ever delves into your thoughts ever again? What if the happy core of your being, the very center of you becomes black? Loses hope? WHAT IF??? What if the world stops turning??? WHAT IF WE RUN OUT OF COFFEE??

It takes but one. One who believes. One who defies the masses. Calls the bluff. Shouts out that the Boogie Man is just a bad dream. One thought, a minuscule thread in the black quagmire, will suffice. The thought whispers defiantly. Face the fear. Confront the what ifs. Take it on and own it. Take responsibility to wrestle it to a manageable proportion. Bit by gnawing bit, chew it, mangle it, spit it out. Stand face to face with the frustration. Stand face to face with the hurt. Stand face to face with the injury. Stand face to face – with yourself. Stand. Don’t run. The fear will use every trick in the book. Accept it. Work with it. Use it. Feel it. Know it and be strong with the knowledge gained.

Find your center. Discover your core. The magic that you believe in. Play. Have fun. Chance love. Admit and accept your vulnerability. Plunge in. Love and cherish yourself. Appreciate – you! All of you. The crazy juicy bits. The savage, beasty bits. The joyous, lighthearted, dance around the room in your pj’s bits. The down and dirty no one is ever to know this bits. Accept, honour and respect all of you. Perfect imperfection. Rejoice! The boogie man may come knocking on the door occasionally and you may invite him in. But know that he fools you no more and you quickly show him the door.