Monsters Under the Bed and Other Bullies
Ken Batten
July 31, 2025
In order to have a successful, fulfilling life you must learn to overcome fear. The fear of failure can keep you from achieving your goals. It's also important to realize that one failure isn't the end, it's usually just a stepping stone on the way to success.
Author and motivational speaker Leo Buscaglia said, "To try is to risk failure. But risk must be taken because the greatest hazard of life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, grow, live, and love.
Looking back on my life, I sometimes wish that I had worked harder, set loftier goals, taken more risks and pushed myself more to get out of my comfort zone. But it's better to learn from your mistakes, think about your achievements and make plans to reach your full potential.
Like most people, I've had my share of fears to overcome. When I was little, I was afraid of the dark. I thought there might be a monster lurking under my bed or in the closet. I only felt safe to go to sleep, when I was under the covers with just my nose sticking out. That blanket was my armor against evil monsters. When I was a little older, I loved to sleep out with my sleeping bag, in the barn, pasture or up in the woods. I had very little fear of the dark when I was camping with family or friends. The idea of sleeping alone in the woods seemed really scary to me and I decided that I had to overcome my fear. When I was around ten years old, I went up through the field behind the barn with my sleeping bag and our part beagle dog Duchess, across the stone wall into the next pasture and under some trees. Duchess used to sleep under the covers in my bed and she would crawl down into my sleeping bag and sleep by my feet. The first night I was kind of scared, but eventually I fell asleep. The next night I wasn't quite as afraid, until Duchess started growling at something from the bottom of my sleeping bag. I laid there real quiet, listening. She stopped growling and went back to sleep and I eventually fell asleep. The third night I slept right through and was never afraid of the dark again.
It's one thing to have fear of the unknown, it's another thing to have it up in your face. In my freshman year of high school, I went to Spaulding H.S. in Barre VT. It was real culture shock for this skinny little fourteen-year-old country boy to go from a one room schoolhouse with a handful of students to a three-story city school with hundreds of students. I had to walk down a hall between a couple of my classes near where the gym was. There were hardly any other students in that hallway that time of day, except one boy who liked to wait there so he could terrorize me. I would come walking down the hall carrying a stack of school books under my arm. He would grab me by the shirt front and slam me against the lockers, sending my books flying. He was bigger and older than me and got his face right up to my face. I don't remember anything he said, but he stuttered and spit as he talked. Then he would let me go and he walked off chuckling to himself. That went on for about a week or so. I dreaded walking down that hallway because I knew what was coming. I finally decided that I couldn't live like that and getting beat up was better than being in fear every day. So one day I walked down that hall. I could see him waiting for me. When he made his move to grab me, I threw down my books and put up my fists. I said, "You and me are going to have it out right now." He backed up with his hands up saying, "whoa, whoa, whoa, I was just messing with you." He walked off mumbling to himself and never bothered me again. I learned a valuable lesson there. Face your fears head-on and as soon as possible.
The inspirational author Dr. Orison Swett Marden once wrote, "Obstacles are like wild animals. They are cowards, but they will bluff you if they can. If they see you are afraid of them... they are liable to spring upon you; but if you look them squarely in the eye, they will slink out of sight."
It turns out, that bully was just an obstacle on my journey down the hallway of life.
Ken Batten grew up on a small sheep farm in West Topsham VT. He was a logging contractor, soldier and rural mail carrier. He now lives in North Hyde Park VT with his wife Tina-Marie. You can contact Ken at kenbatvt@gmail.com or PO Box 5 N Hyde Park VT 05665
Author and motivational speaker Leo Buscaglia said, "To try is to risk failure. But risk must be taken because the greatest hazard of life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, grow, live, and love.
Looking back on my life, I sometimes wish that I had worked harder, set loftier goals, taken more risks and pushed myself more to get out of my comfort zone. But it's better to learn from your mistakes, think about your achievements and make plans to reach your full potential.
Like most people, I've had my share of fears to overcome. When I was little, I was afraid of the dark. I thought there might be a monster lurking under my bed or in the closet. I only felt safe to go to sleep, when I was under the covers with just my nose sticking out. That blanket was my armor against evil monsters. When I was a little older, I loved to sleep out with my sleeping bag, in the barn, pasture or up in the woods. I had very little fear of the dark when I was camping with family or friends. The idea of sleeping alone in the woods seemed really scary to me and I decided that I had to overcome my fear. When I was around ten years old, I went up through the field behind the barn with my sleeping bag and our part beagle dog Duchess, across the stone wall into the next pasture and under some trees. Duchess used to sleep under the covers in my bed and she would crawl down into my sleeping bag and sleep by my feet. The first night I was kind of scared, but eventually I fell asleep. The next night I wasn't quite as afraid, until Duchess started growling at something from the bottom of my sleeping bag. I laid there real quiet, listening. She stopped growling and went back to sleep and I eventually fell asleep. The third night I slept right through and was never afraid of the dark again.
It's one thing to have fear of the unknown, it's another thing to have it up in your face. In my freshman year of high school, I went to Spaulding H.S. in Barre VT. It was real culture shock for this skinny little fourteen-year-old country boy to go from a one room schoolhouse with a handful of students to a three-story city school with hundreds of students. I had to walk down a hall between a couple of my classes near where the gym was. There were hardly any other students in that hallway that time of day, except one boy who liked to wait there so he could terrorize me. I would come walking down the hall carrying a stack of school books under my arm. He would grab me by the shirt front and slam me against the lockers, sending my books flying. He was bigger and older than me and got his face right up to my face. I don't remember anything he said, but he stuttered and spit as he talked. Then he would let me go and he walked off chuckling to himself. That went on for about a week or so. I dreaded walking down that hallway because I knew what was coming. I finally decided that I couldn't live like that and getting beat up was better than being in fear every day. So one day I walked down that hall. I could see him waiting for me. When he made his move to grab me, I threw down my books and put up my fists. I said, "You and me are going to have it out right now." He backed up with his hands up saying, "whoa, whoa, whoa, I was just messing with you." He walked off mumbling to himself and never bothered me again. I learned a valuable lesson there. Face your fears head-on and as soon as possible.
The inspirational author Dr. Orison Swett Marden once wrote, "Obstacles are like wild animals. They are cowards, but they will bluff you if they can. If they see you are afraid of them... they are liable to spring upon you; but if you look them squarely in the eye, they will slink out of sight."
It turns out, that bully was just an obstacle on my journey down the hallway of life.
Ken Batten grew up on a small sheep farm in West Topsham VT. He was a logging contractor, soldier and rural mail carrier. He now lives in North Hyde Park VT with his wife Tina-Marie. You can contact Ken at kenbatvt@gmail.com or PO Box 5 N Hyde Park VT 05665
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