The Valley of the Shadow of Death

I first memorized Psalm 23 when I was about 10 years old. It has been stuck in my brain since then. Recently, it keeps coming back to my mind. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” As I meditate on those words, the valley seems deep, long, and very dark. The shadow of death is like a black blanket of fog at twilight.
But two things come to me:
First, the “shadow of death” is just that — a shadow. It’s not really death, just a shadow of death.
Second, the verse goes on to say, “You are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me.” So even though I’m in this deep, dark, scary valley; God is with me even then. His “rod” and “staff” which are tools that a shepherd uses to keep his sheep on a path, will keep me from falling down into an unseen precipice. That’s comforting.