The passengers were all buckled into the 747 jetliner  A voice came over the speaker.  “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.  This is your captain speaking.  Welcome aboard Flight 22 for London.  Our cruising altitude will be 30,000 feet.  Our air speed 600 miles per hour.  We will fly over Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and the tip of Ireland.  Flying time will be about nine hours.  As soon as we are airborne our flight attendants will be serving you breakfast.  We'll take off -- just as soon as I get up the nerve.”

To be human is to fear, but fear need not immobilize or destroy us. There are steps we can take to deal with this demon.  First, admit the fear.  Second, name the fear.  Once we give our fear a name, strangely, it loses some of its power over us.  Third, seek the resources you need.  It may be medical help.  It may simply be a friend who cares.