As of yesterday, November 1, I am officially a student at the University of Memphis through its UofM Global program.

I'm living an 80s montage! You've seen it—a series of cutscenes set to inspiring music, pushing toward the final challenge, the big boss, or whatever. One of initial challenges the protagonist has to face is his fear...

Ceteris paribus, meditating on change releases the billowing shadows of fear. It is not that we don't want change for our good, but, it is the potential for loss. And no doubt it correlates to whatever our personal ratio of cynicism is.

The thing with remaining in place is that our perspective is from there. If I may poorly misrepresent C.S. Lewis from his Weight of Glory:

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

We may not even realize we could have it much, much better. We may not even understand we're plopped up in an existential squalor of mud walls.

We could just sit there in the muck, clinching tightly onto the mud. Or, we could train to become strong, fast, and develop cardio to be fresh for the fight.

Through effective preparation and training, we approach and eliminate reasonable fear—wax on, wax off. As it has been said, "You've got to give to live...if you know what you want, just go on out and get it."

As far as Sulley's rampage in the closet:

Ron Swanson: Of course, this bowling alley has my favorite restaurant in Pawnee.

Ann Perkins: Really? You're not scared to eat here?

Ron Swanson: When I eat, it is the food that is scared.