COURAGE MONTH: DAY 30: “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
This almost sounds like a Peter Pan kind of thing, but I love that it comes from a true pragmatist…at least as I see him and his life and work.
I don’t know if I “believe” all the time, but I sure am stubborn enough to try damn near anything! And have, and hope I always do. Sometimes I have such crazy ideas and dreams that I am shocked when they do begin to manifest, but I have come to believe (for me) that these are proof of the benevolence and kind regard of that Power to whom I turn over my will and my life. I do not see things as rewards or punishments, but that I was given these desires and dreams to keep in my heart until they are made manifest in my life because they are part of my journey.
And I am never concerned with having things go differently than I had hoped. Sometimes it is a massive blowup and that is good too! Because I have always had great respect for the wrecking ball that has demolished my life a few times in order to completely restructure the whole thing! Woohoo! There is nothing worse than knowing I am walking the wrong path and not knowing how to make that U-turn I need to make. I can get quite stuck in this dynamic and have many times, but less often today.
So, I believe I can clean things up in my life and I do this process of being willing to clean them up with those people I have done harm with. I had NO IDEA the first time I did this step how beautifully it was going to come out! AMAZING stuff here folks!
And those dreams began to come true. I was able to do something I had been told I could do by a little old man I named Papa Smurf who I met in my earliest days in rehab. He got sober in 1945 and was 41 years sober when I met him. This was a huge deal in 1986, because there were only a handful of people anywhere in the world with that kind of time then. And he taught me that I should walk down the street and look everyone in the eye, because I was now a sober member of AA. That was so loving and kind…he was such a gift to me in those early days! Taught me to love the BB as much as he did and to never stop working with new members. (I never have Papa!)
The whole idea behind this thing is to stop dragging that giant bag of rocks that we have of shame and guilt and remorse and regret…which turn into resentment and anger and a strong need for alcohol and drugs! This may sound tough, but it is the greatest freedom…just to be willing to let these things go and to do the right thing by others for the first time in many moons. Good shit, Maynard! And all we have to do is to begin…and then do it!
Dolphin Hug 