Overheard On A Saltmarsh

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  Nymph, nymph, what are your beads? Green glass, goblin. Why do you stare at them? Give them me. No. Give them me. Give them me. No. Then I will howl all night in the reeds, Lie in the mud and howl for them. Goblin, why do you love them so? They are better than stars or water, Better than voices of winds that sing, Better than any man's fair daughter, Your green glass beads on a silver ring. Hush, I stole them out of the moon. Give me your beads, I want them. No. I will howl in the deep lagoon For your green glass beads, I love them so. Give them me. Give them. No. - Harold Monro (1879 - 1932)

Primed For Fear

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Once we develop the habit of living in fear, it will not matter how good things get. 
"You will be frightened out of your wits, not only by real, but by fancied dangers, and will be tossed for ever on the sea of illusion. What benefit will it be to 
'Have threaded all the towns of Argolis,
A fugitive through midmost press of foes?'
For peace itself will furnish further apprehension. Even in the midst of safety you will have no confidence if your mind has once been given a shock; once it has acquired the habit of blind panic, it is incapable of providing even for its own safety. For it does not avoid danger, but runs away. Yet we are more exposed to danger when we turn our backs." (Seneca, 104)
If we train our mind to worry, then we train ourselves to live in misery. We are primed for fear.

The solution is to re-train in order to thrive when good fortune comes. Training takes work, that's why it's called "confidence building." We need to take every action, every thought captive and use them as building blocks for a secure, safe place. 

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