up. It was several days before it happened. Pegleg hopped onto Chad’s ankle, stretched his beak out
as far as he possibly could, and plucked the bit of meat from Chad’s fingers. Chad sat with his leg and
arm as still as if they had been frozen. In fact, about his only movement was his breathing. Day by day
he inched his hand closer toward his body, and day by day Pegleg came just a little closer.
Pegleg isn’t a slow learner, thought Chad. He’s just scared. He has to learn to trust me. I need to go slow
and let him build up his confidence.
Chad put his left hand on his thigh while he fed Pegleg with his right. As Pegleg got used to the
left hand being there, it was only a matter of days before he was standing on the back of Chad’s hand.
The next step was difficult, but Chad took it slowly and patiently. With Pegleg standing on his hand,
Chad tried to lift it, ever so gently, off his thigh, but immediately Pegleg hopped off. Chad wondered
if he would ever get past that spot but, sure enough, in time Pegleg would stay on Chad’s hand just
a few inches above his thigh.
There were many more weeks and many more patient steps before Chad walked out onto the
back lawn one day, holding his left hand in the air and some meat in his right. Pegleg swooped down
from a tree, landing right on Chad’s outstretched hand. Can you image how it must have felt for
Chad? It must be hard to know you have to stand as still as a statue when you want to jump over the
moon. Chad couldn’t even yell for Mom to come and have a look. He didn’t want to frighten Peg-
leg after all the time they had taken to trust each other. He had to discover what it was like to be ex-
cited and be still at the same time, what it was like to enjoy the moment.
Of course, Chad’s mom and dad both got to see, though they didn’t quite believe what they saw
at first. Sometimes I still wonder who got to learn more. Was it Chad’s parents, Pegleg, or Chad?
STORY 30
I’M NOT AFRAID ANYMORETherapeutic Characteristics
Problems Addressed
■ Fear of the unknown
■ Expecting the worst
■ Reluctance to engage in new experiencesResources Developed
■ Learning about the protective value of fear
■ Discovering new, positive experiences
■ Learning things may not be as bad as imagined
■ Shifting fear to excitementOutcomes Offered
■ Willingness to give something new a try
■ Acceptance that being scared can be okay
■ Acknowledgement that fears can be overcomeCHANGING BEHAVIORChanging Patterns of Behavior 99