I had never watched the sunset drip into the Pacific Ocean with my own eyes before last week! I’m a Southerner. I’m an East Coast sunrise kinda guy. I was all about sunrises….until I actually got to experience the sunset over the Pacific!

Our family just got back from a trip out to the PNW. We explored as much of Oregon and Northern California as we could with a minivan, and a family of 5! The pictures don’t do it justice. I came home in awe of the snow-capped mountains, the terrain, and the landscape that literally looks like it sits in a Bob Ross painting.

Heather and I love a “loose” schedule when we travel. We have learned to pick one meal and one excursion, everyday, to anchor the day. Then, be free (and willing) to take the day in whichever direction it leads. It took us many years (and a few arguments) to figure that out. On our last full day of our trip, we wanted to explore a few of the beach towns along the Oregon Coast. We had heard stories of incredibly caves, rock formations, sand dunes, and of course, fog. When I say fog, I mean, can’t see 5-feet in front of you, fog!

As we rolled into Rockaway Beach, we had heard about how good the crabbing was near the docks. We decided to check it out. Shellfish licenses, bait, and two crab nets later, we were hunting for large crabs from the safety of a rickety-old wooden boat dock that had weathered many a bad day.

What I didn’t expect, was how my kids would react when we actually began catching crabs. We hauled in our nets every 10 minutes or so, and would have 3-5 crabs in the net. It was awesome to watch unfold. For two hours, we could have been a cringe-worthy, internet sensation, if someone had videoed the entire excursion of us… WNC mountain family, crabbing in the Pacific!

We would haul in our nets and then examine if the crabs were male or female. We could keep the males of a particular size, and we would throw the rest back in. Every time we would haul the net in, our youngest child would take 10 steps back, our middle child, would get nervous and fidgety, and our oldest would just get mad! He knew that we expected him to take the crabs out of the net to examine. His fear took over!

Here is my point. Fear is how we perceive a situation. Fear is made up in your head. Fear is a liar! Danger is real. These crabs were BIG! They had two big claws on the front of the body and 6 pointy legs. If you hold a crab by the middle back of the body, they cannot grab you with a claw, but it is perceived that they could. The perception of the situation creates fear. If you know how to hold them, there is no danger.

Let me say it again. We create fear in our head. It holds us back. It is paralyzing. It keeps us from experiences. On the other side of fear is where the incredible life moments happen.

How many times have you let fear win in your life? Think back to moments over just the last few days that you did not start something, did not finish something, or did not fully experience something, because of fear.

Like all of us, our oldest, experiences fear, processes it in his mind, exacerbates it, gets paralyzed by it, and then gets mad. Really mad. He has learned to walk away, regroup, and take control of his thoughts. Our minds are incredible, but the mind will do what you think. Once he processed his fear and differentiated between the fear and real danger, he came back ready to conquer.

Just think of all those times that you let fear win. Today is a new day. Today is the day to mentally conquer your fears, one little win at a time. Practice taking control of your thoughts when fear steps in.

A Great-Life is had on the other side of fear! Who’s laughing now!

We loved the PNW, but home is Western North Carolina. It will always be home! Stop by the shops and say hey sometime. You will be glad you did. We can talk about overcoming our fears together!

- Matt

*Check out @kellysbrightonmarina if you want an awesome crabbing experience on the Oregon Coast!