The anxious man froze. His heart hammered against his ribcage. A snake—coiled and ready to strike—blocked the only path home.

Darkness was falling fast. Sweat in his forehead as cortisol flooded his system. Fight or flight? Neither was an option. This path was his only way home.

With trembling hands, he gathered twigs and fashioned a makeshift torch. The small flame sputtered to life, casting long shadows across the dirt path.

He inched forward, torch extended. The light flickered across the "snake."

It was a rope. Just a rope.

It had always been a rope.

He laughed, relieved and embarrassed. How many hours of his life had he wasted, terrified of imaginary dangers?

We all mistake ropes for snakes.

Reality exists one way. Our minds create another. We project elaborate stories onto simple experiences, and these stories (not reality) trigger our suffering. Anxiety. Fear. Depression. Anger. All born from the shadows we create, not the path we walk.

What ropes in your life have you transformed into snakes?

Which stories are poisoning your peace?

When you shine the light of awareness on your circumstances, when you see the rope for what it truly is, you find freedom from the prison of your own making.

The torch is in your hand. All you need to do is light it.