Walking on Ice - Facing our Fears

When the temps are above freezing, I take Ella over to Lake Como so we can walk the entire loop, a 1.6 mile walk.  With Ella, that means closer to an hour of outdoor time because she has to do a forensic inspection every two feet.  But it gets her outdoors, I get in a good long walk so it is mutually beneficial, and most importantly, the restrooms are open and available for outdoor walkers.  During our walk on Friday, I noticed four people on the frozen lake.  Since there are multiple signs posted around the lake warning "thin ice" all I could think of was Harry in "It's a Wonderful Life" falling through the ice.  When I arrived the four individuals were on the farthest side of the lake, but as I continued our walk, they crossed the entire lake coming toward my direction and I could see and hear, they were children.  They weren't ice skating, but they were pulling a sled.  Ice fishing perhaps?  What I do know is that they were fearless in terms of walking across the lake.  In my advanced years walking on any kind of ice is a challenge, but watching them enjoying their outdoor adventure, I started to consider when exactly do we start to develop fears related to things children do naturally and as adults we become hesitant and fearful?  In my case, it has more to do with falling and once we start the ice/thaw/ice pattern we are in, I strap on my ice cleats when walking Ella.  I didn't need them to walk about Lake Como because the path was clear.  But walking in my neighborhood, especially in the morning when it is still dark,  I don't leave home without my ice cleats.  Since the children continued walking after they left the lake on into the neighborhood, I have to assume they lived close by, but I wondered do their parents ever caution them?  Children don't weigh as much as an adult, but still the ice was showing evidence of thawing in spots.  Bottom line is that despite my concerns for their safety, they were all completely safe.  It made me wish that they could remain fearless regarding many of the perceived fears too many young adults now experience. I know anxiety is a real issue among younger people as well as adults.  In this year where we have observed so many unsettling events,   I will hope you are able to find ways to embrace a fearlessness in the new year that many children have naturally.  And I will close with a quote from one of my favorite books:

"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."
— A.A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)