Courage
“You
cannot swim for new horizons until you have the courage to lose sight
of the shore.”
William
Faukner
Have you ever wanted to
do something really badly, but lacked the courage? A year or so ago,
I was enrolled in a writing class at John Campbell Folk School in
North Carolina. Mealtime was family style, and I happened to be
sitting beside a man who was in my cousin's wood turning class. He,
as it turned out, was owner of a publishing house in Kentucky. He
asked what I like to write; I told him about this blog and a couple
of projects I was working on. He pulled out his ipad, tapped a couple of
keys and up popped my blog. I grew clammy and began to sweat. He sat
there munching his lunch and reading, while my food turned to dust in
my mouth. After reading several posts, he turned to me and said, “My
wife would love these, I'm going to send them to her.” which he
did, right there and then. “What's keeping you from publishing your
work?” I took a long, deep breath and said, “Lack of a spinal
column.”
Would you believe, I
didn't have enough courage to ask him for his card, or whether he
would have any interest in reading other things that I have written.
I didn't even get his name or which publishing house he owned. Now,
that is cowardice in its rawest form. I let my own lack of confidence
stand between me and an opportunity that the universe had dropped
squarely into my lap. It was pure coincidence—meaningful
synchronicity that I let slip away.
Here is a quote from
Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, August Wilson: “Confront the
dark parts of yourself and work to banish them with illumination and
forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause
your angels to sing.” Confronting one's lack of courage ranks right
up there with demon wrestling. We let it stop us from doing any
number of things that our soul is leading us to do. It is a
personality flaw as egregious as its opposite—egotism. Cowardice
must be overcome in the same way that persistent negativity is
overcome—with practice and compassion, and the courage to lose
sight of the shore.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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