The first three decades of my life, fear dogged me constantly because I was always trying to be what I imagined some one else wanted me to be. Or the converse; rebelling against the expectations of others. The love I sought felt conditional so my behavior was always a reaction to some one. Letting others define us, or determine our thoughts or behavior in any situation, never results in a life free of fear. Unfortunately, this had become my well practiced habit from childhood on, but in 1971, while teaching a writing class at the University of Minnesota, I[...]