I read about a teacher in Harlem who wanted his students to get out of the city and spend a little time in open-country. He arranged to take his class for a week of camp in the great outdoors. Once there, one of the first things he did was to organize a baseball game, played on a field which backed up to a thick forest. The trees turned out to be a major problem. None of the kids wanted to play in the outfield; they weren’t used to seeing trees spaced so closely together that they couldn’t see what might be hiding there. They feared what might come at them while their backs were turned. So, the teacher put two kids in each outfield position: one to watch the woods and one to hold the glove.

I am convinced we’re not meant to deal with our fears alone. We all need someone to watch the woods for us; and, sometimes, we get to watch the woods for someone else.