I’m frightened about a lot of things. I don’t think that’s too uncommon. I don’t want to be governed by my fears though. I once heard a phrase…possibly a book title…that went something like “Feel the fear, but do it anyway”.

Which sounds like a great motivational speech. But where do you start?

Like a lot of people, if you put me in the woods, alone after dark, I’m a little bit afraid. It’s partly because I was brought up in cities. It’s partly just an inherent primal thing from the days when humans lived out there “In Nature” and genuinely had to be alert and aware for the presence of creatures that might eat them. It might be to do with the fact that I twice had the experience of seeing strange faces peering into my ground floor bedroom as a child.

All of those things and more probably. But it doesn’t really matter why.

For various reasons I’d like to be able to spend a night sleeping in the woods, but I have avoided it because of fear. I love being out in the wilds, and I have occasionally camped and slept alone outside after dark. It was always a challenge.

But I always slept out in the open. On a hillside or a mountain. It felt safer. Sleeping in the woods though - that’s another matter. It feels more ominous. Far more strange shadows and noises than I would like to experience, if I’m honest.

However, I want to face the fear, and do it anyway.

But I’m not planning to jump straight in at the deep end.

More tomorrow.