Over the brim and out of the bucket - A Story with Photographic Illustration

First a tentative glance over the brim. Oh, the wonders to see and experience. 'Okay, time to overcome the anxiety and leave the bucket!'

A last glance at safety, at the world I know so well. 'Do I really want to do this? To leave the place I know so well? The walls, with all their cracks and splinters?'

Hanging in the air, one leg outside feeling for the ground, the other still in the bucket, still in assumed safety, undecided...thoughts racing...feelings fighting each other...hanging...thinking...feeling: anxious, frustrated, exhilarated, daring, impatient, scared, wobbly... And then.. my foot brushes something...sound footing. That makes the decision for me. I take my other leg out of the bucket and let go of it.

My both feet touching the ground, standing there on the ground for the very first time. And for the very first time looking from the outside at my bucket. It seems so small...but it felt big enough when I was in there... so small, my world had been sooo small...

Starting to look around, without even noticing it taking the first steps away from my bucket. And then I look back and ... was this really all I knew? It is so small compared to the whole world.

Just turning the next corner, there are new sights to see, odours to smell and flavours to taste.

The open road stretches out before me, with endless possibilities. To tell you the truth I'm a bit anxious, cause I can only see the next few steps. But wait what is that other feeling? Excitement? Exhilaration? Joy? A mixture of all of them. The open road beckons me:
'Come along. Take one step at a time and I'll show you wonders that you haven't even dreamt of.'

'Well then...'

And I start walking...