My biggest fear was dogs. I was chased by one when I was 6 years old. I was walking in the park with my mother when I started to run down the hill. Then a woman had her dog running free, and the dog began to chase me. I have never run so fast in my life. After that, whenever I saw a free dog, my legs started shaking, and my heart started beating fast. I avoided every opportunity where there was a dog. Even if they were on a leach, I was terrified. I couldn’t go to friends who had dogs. I was also scared of other animals. But for some reason, bunnies didn’t have the same effect. One friend had a cat, so they had to put it in another room when I visited. I told people I didn’t like pets, but I was scared of them. I didn’t dare to tell anyone because I thought they would let their pets attack me out of spite. Every time a dog approached me, my legs shook. Fear limits your life, and I thought I never get over it.

But I don’t know what happened years later. I didn’t do anything. My fear of dogs disappeared when I became an adult. I was over 30 or something. Suddenly, my legs weren’t shaking, and my heart was calm. If a dog smelled me, I wasn’t scared. I still don’t touch them, but I have conquered my biggest fear. It’s liberating and feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I don’t need to avoid dogs. I can visit a person with one without any fear. I fear other things (like needles) but it isn’t as bad as the one I had towards dogs. They are pretty lame compared to that one. Some fears disappear in time without reason, and some you need to face. Conquering fear is an achievement in itself, and it’s something to be proud of.