There is Something in Your Closet by Scott Bahlmann

There is Something in your closet.

Are you afraid of it?

Most grown-ups are, that’s why they say that it isn’t there, or under the bed, or just behind the door. But it is, and I can tell you how not to be afraid of it.

Take a moment. A quiet moment, right now, and think of Something in the closet, just behind the door. It knows that you are thinking about it. Now, for just a moment, feel the something. Let it get inside you. That’s what it wants most of all. Let it in just a little bit.

Do you feel it? If you don’t like it, tell it to go away and it will melt like a snowflake back to it’s waiting place (but it’s always there, waiting).

If you don’t feel it, then you can stop reading because there isn’t anything to explain to you ...yet. (You can come back when you get that little tingle at the back of your neck, like Something is watching you).

Now that you remember how it feels to know that Something is there, I’ll tell you why grown-ups are scared of it. It’s because when they were little and they said “There’s something in the closet!” (or under the bed), their grown-up said “No there isn’t”, and opened the closet wide and didn’t see the Something that was right there in front of them!

They do this because that’s what their grown-up did for them, all the way back to when we first had closets.

Now, when you know there is something there, and your grown-up (who is supposed to know everything) says there isn’t, that’s what’s scary, not the Something at all! It’s called a conflict, and conflicts mess with the things we really deep down know.

I’ll tell you a secret. I’m a grown-up, and I was a little scared of what was in my closet, because I was told it wasn’t really there. But then I decided to believe it anyway. That’s when I met my Something, and learned it isn’t scary at all!

This grown-up knows, just like you do, that there is Something in your closet (and under your bed). And now, if you’d like, you can meet it too!

If you wouldn’t like to, you can stop reading and walk away, until you decide you don’t want to be scared anymore. If you aren’t scared of the Something that you know is there, congratulations! You will probably keep reading because it’s nice to hear when other people share something special that you already know.

Okay, the thing about the Something in your closet is that it doesn’t live in your closet, it lives everywhere. Only, at bedtime your mind isn’t distracted by all the colors and sounds and other things we usually have going on. This is why grown-ups put so much stuff in their closets, because they want to be so distracted that they never meet the Something they learned to be scared of.

The Something likes quiet, peaceful moments, like most of us. It likes the dark, where you won’t be distracted by all the other things. It’s a gentle, quiet, something.*

Take a little moment. Think about that Something that you know is there. Does it feel gentle and quiet? Maybe let it in just a little bit more, so you can really tell.

*Some people find that their Something likes certain noises or actions, like dancing or running, and that can be a great way to interact with it.

The other thing about the Something is that it’s Huge! This is another reason grown-ups get scared of it. Grown-ups want to be the biggest thing ever, but that’s kind of silly because they can’t ever be bigger than mountains. (are mountains scary? ..nope!) and they can’t be bigger than the big blue sky. (is the sky scary? ...nope!) They certainly can’t be bigger than the bright shining sun (and sunlight isn’t scary either!).

The Something is so huge, it’s surprising that it fits in the closet at all! But it’s a sneaky something, like air or water, because it can squiddle about into any size or shape. Only a part of it stays there, though. It’s still everywhere else.

But what is this huge, gentle, quiet something that lives everywhere? The most fun thing is, you get to decide! It really is your something. Everyone has it, but it’s special for everyone.

Think of your heartbeat. I like to think that’s where my something talks to me, but you might hear it somewhere else. Your heartbeat is quiet and peaceful, but you can feel it all the way through your body, sometimes in your fingertips and toes! Everyone has their own heartbeat, which is pretty much the same as yours, but it’s theirs. If you get close enough to someone, you can feel each other's heartbeat, it can be shared with anyone you like.

That’s pretty much what your something is, it’s the heartbeat of everything. But the way you feel it is special, just for you. That’s why some silly people choose to be scared of it.

Before you were born, inside your mother's belly, everything was dark and you could feel the heartbeat of your mother very clearly, even though you had your own. It was beautifully peaceful. That’s the closest you’ve ever been to the Something in your closet. Do you think that was scary? I don’t think so, and that’s why I’m not scared of the dark, or my Something.

I do hope you will get to know the Something in your closet and realize it isn’t scary, but lovely and nice and wonderful. Also, you might want to choose a name for it. The name should be special for your Something, because your Something is special for you.

Now, there is one more thing about the Something in your closet, and that’s the trick of talking about it with other people, especially those who are still scared of their own Something.

Many people try to use the names that other people gave their Somethings, most of them from a long time ago, but I think that makes the Something feel like someone else’s instead of mine. Then it feels far away, instead of in my own closet (or my own heart). So choose a name that is lovely to you, that feels just like your something.

And remember that other people have different names for their Something as well. If you remember that, you can talk with other people about their Something, and you can use the name that they chose for theirs, without losing yours at all.

Now, take a moment. Think about the Something in your closet. It’s always waiting just for you. Let it fill you up as much as you like (it loves to fill things up), and listen to what it has to say. It will share wonderful, marvelous things with you, in it’s own special language. When you listen, your life will be magical.

When you really get to know your Something (it’s always been waiting and watching, so it knows you very well), you will realize there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of.