Courage

This quote from Soren Kierkegaard, philosopher, says it eloquently: "To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself".

Some people seem to have been born with an inordinate amount of courage.  Some of us, not so much.

My oldest son, Anthony, knew from an early age that he wanted to be a sailor and fisherman. At age 21 he hightailed it out of California and landed in Kona, Hawaii to begin his life on the sea. His first job - the only one an inexperienced young man could get - was on a dinner cruise. He stayed six months - then on to his next adventure - Kennebunkport, Maine.  He fell in love with the beautiful Atlantic and charming coastal community and its' warm, welcoming townspeople.

He began a job as a lobsterman and fisherman and on days off worked on the "Eleanor" a 55 foot schooner taking tourists and locals out on 2 hour ocean explorations.  When the fishing season went on hiatus he was hired by a New York real estate magnate to be first mate on his yacht. They sailed the East Coast and eventually crossed the Atlantic to Europe. Seriously? My 20 something son crossing the Atlantic on a sailboat? Where did this sense of adventure and non-stop bravery come from?

My younger son, Nick, after graduating from college decided to go to Seoul, Korea to teach English. This is not exceptionally uncommon, yet for a quiet, introverted young man with zero knowledge of Korea or the language - a huge leap. He immediately embraced the country and its' customs and stayed three years. He used Seoul as a launching pad for exploring Japan, Thailand and other places on his vacations - alone.

His next undertaking was to return to school for his Master's in psychology. Since his undergraduate degree was in anthropology the choices for graduate schools were limited.  He settled on the University of South Dakota.

He is now a psychologist in the school district of San Francisco, CA.

Two of our pickleball partners faced their fear and entered a tournament they felt was out of their league (if you'll pardon the pun). They showed up despite their nervousness. Simply showing up is an act of bravery and we are so proud of them. They moved out of their comfort zones and set an example for the rest of us. Yay Morgan and Sophia!

The boldest move I ever made was moving from New Jersey to California when I was 27. Whoa. It seemed a big deal at the time. Yes, I did have a bit of entrepreneurial spirit - starting and operating two small businesses, but these weren't actually something I'd consider courageous.

How about you? Do you think of yourself as a courageous woman?

I think this is an area for future exploration, as there are many types of courage and as Nelson Mandela said: "Courage isn't the absence of fear, but the triumph over it".

xo

P.S. I always use aliases to protect the innocent!