Five Seconds

I recently was watching part of the pilot episode of Lost and heard something I had taken for granted before. I really have to give the writers credit for this inspiring little story that's about to follow.

When I was in residency, my first solo procedure was a spinal surgery on a sixteen year-old kid. Girl. At the end of it -- thirteen hours later - I was closing her up... and I... I accidentally ripped her dural sack -- you know what that is?

It's at the base of the spine, where all the nerves come together. Membrane as thin as tissue. So it ripped open -- the nerves just spilled out like angel hair pasta -- her spinal fluid flowing out and I just... froze. 'Cause I knew. If I didn't get those nerves back in that sack and sew it up... those thirteen hours were for nothing, that girl would be paralyzed.

I had about a minute. And all the assistants were just watching me, I could feel their eyes. And the terror was so... crazy, so real... and I knew I had to deal with it. So I just made a choice. I'd let the fear in. Let it take over. Let it do its thing. But only for five seconds. That's all I was gonna give it. So I started to count to five. I could feel it inside -- like when you drink a milkshake on a hot day. One, two, three, four, five. And it was gone. I got back to work. Sewed her up. She was fine.

I think everyone has something like that. A moment where you establish your relationship with fear. And either you learn to deal with it... or you don't.
-- Lost - Pilot Transcript

When did you decide your relationship with fear would be? Or did you not deal with it? Our choices define us, but it is important to remember that we can always make a different choice. Are you going to let fear dictate your life or are you going to dictate to fear its role in your life?