August 25

COURAGE MONTH: DAY 25: “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” ― Maya Angelou

I always want to “test” a theory that is new to me. This one is; so, let’s see.

Step 1 is Acceptance…this takes courage.

Step 2 is Hope…this requires courage also. “Dare to hope” comes to mind.

Step 3 is Faith…for me, the most courage of all.

Step 4 is Honesty…oh, yeah…big time!

Step 5 is Integrity…and, actually, on the list of Principles I got many years ago, Courage is what is listed for Step 5.

Step 6 is Humility…that takes courage; because most of us cannot fathom letting go of looking good.

Step 7 is Patience…takes incredible courage to be patient.

Step 9 is Freedom…allowing freedom into our lives is an act of great courage.

Step 10 is Discipline…no way we can be disciplined about this without courage.

Step 11 is Gratitude…BIG Courage!

Step 12 is Love…the biggest courage step of all!

So, that quote has shown itself to be reasonably true. I can see that. I don’t think we can practice anything in life consistently without the courage of our convictions. Even addiction required that we be dedicated enough to staying loaded to do whatever it took and pay any price to remain there.

Life takes courage. That is a truth I can see in many forms. We cannot be living in fear and be even a little bit happy. There is nothing for us to do except curl up and refuse to go on.

Some folks do this. They become hopeless and too fearful to keep going. However, I see that most of us have a spark of hope and of life that can keep us moving, even when we are feeling less than enthusiastic about the way we are living.

Something even keeps us drinking and drugging past the point where we can get high or derive any pleasure from it. What is that? I believe it is the spark of courage and hope that is put into each of us at the time of our creation.

I believe it because I have seen it. Even those of us who never get this recovery thing have some kind of spark that compels us to keep moving and breathing and doing what we do. There is something courageous about all of us.

I am not sure we even know that we are acting courageously. Many times, we feel we are acting without a compass or a purpose. I don’t see it that way. I have an incredibly high amount of respect for the determination of the human spirit.

How many of us kept going, despite the odds; despite what others saw as crippling and overwhelming burdens? And we do that here, with much greater chances of success. With amazing models and heroes who teach us how this thing can shift and change and we can become people of great honor and passion and do amazing and wonderful things. We see it every day…such astonishing courage!