In the last year, I’ve become allies with the darkness.

She’s a familiar setting now.

My early morning walks, my nightly strolls, my late night drives, and my early sprints – all with her.

I used to be scared and frightened by darkness. I’m not necessarily sure why.

I felt she was uninviting.

I decided to expand my relationship with darkness, going on uninvited dates with her.

Overtime I’ve found myself extremely comfortable in the dark. I revisit my old fear of the dark and understand it as a fear of the unknown, instead. Darkness obfuscates the unknown from us, so my fear was rooted in not being able to grip with what lies out there.

I frame exploring the darkness as engaging with life. You simply never know what she’s going to throw at you. So often, I cruise through life on auto-pilot. I can’t do this when there’s a large element of uncertainty.

Perhaps I am still scared of the dark. Only now, I engage with my fear as a means to engage with my life.