We're Not Afraid....

...or are we? The werenotafraid.com website is at first sight an inspiring a fortifying website and I do not wish to knock it. Indeed I've submitted a picture to it. And yet the wary glances around my train carriage at new passengers, the way my heart sinks like a stone when I hear sirens - surely these are symptoms of fear.

So I've come to the conclusion that yes i am a bit afraid and there is nothing wrong in that. The challenge is how you deal with your fear. My response is to not let it govern my life.

In the middle of writing this blog came the 2 minutes silence. As I headed to the lift I could see people already outside their offices in preperation. All of the local eateries and hostelries had closed their doors, their staff outside with their customers.

Outside in the beautiful sunshine with it's cooling breeze we observed the silence and thought of the victims. Looking around I could see what London is all about - a real cross-section of humanity, male/female, all ages, all races and united in a resolve to stand up to terrorism. I am sure that each one of us who marked the 2 minutes is dealing with last week's events in their own way - but I found it extremely heartening to have shared such a communal moment of defiance and remembrance.

This evening I will go to Trafalgar Square for the remembrance event and tomorrow I am off to see Queen in Hyde Park. If I were letting fear dictate my actions I would steer well clear of such attractive terrorist targets. But I am in charge, not the terrorists. So I will go tonight and remember, and on Friday I will enjoy the concert. And at the back of my mind will be the knowledge that I could be placing myself in danger - but that's where it will stay - at the back of my mind. Defiance trumps fear every time. This is my life and I will chose how to live it.