COURAGE MONTH: DAY 14: “You see, to find the brightest wisdom one must pass through the darkest zones. And through the darkest zones there can be no guide. No guide, that is, but courage”― Adam Gidwitz
I like this quote, because I can see how to rephrase a couple of the words, so it fits more completely into the paradigm of the steps.
The darkest zones are, of course, Ego. The guide, of course, is not truly courage, but Spirit or heart. And the word courage comes from the French word Coeur which means heart. It is capitalized because they use it the same way I do, meaning Spirit.
It also speaks to something I wrote about yesterday. No one is going to applaud you for your work, it is all about your journey. New members often expect praise or rewards for working through their steps and believe we are all impressed by that. The truth is this; that if you don’t keep working on your own spiritual recovery, we all get to watch your life turn to shit, along with your attitude. We know what it looks like, but no one who IS working this stuff wants what you have.
I do not allow myself to get all balled up when others don’t do this. As the BB tells me, when I fail with you, there are others with whom I can work. I keep moving on. And that sounds so cold, but I have been down the road with thousands of new members, both in the work I have done over the course of my first 30 years, and working as a sponsor with members who have more time. I don’t carry anyone but myself. Trust me, that keeps my hands full!
So, I will show you what I did, but will walk away quickly when you think I am going to carry your dead weight with me. So, you must find your guide very soon. It is an inside job. If you don’t, it means you are stuck on Step 3 and that is always where failure happens. I ain’t your heart or Spirit, and you sure as hell ain’t mine.
Dolphin Hug 