Courage

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.
Amelia Erhart

I spent today seeking out opportunities to be courageous...to take the risk, the push myself past an established boundary. Courage is about the quality of mind or spirit to take on a challenge, and adversity with peace of mind. It is truth in conviction -- living one's values even when that is really hard.

If we all lived with courage, if we all lived our convictions in the tough times, I think the world would certainly be a more tangible, readable thing. Less hidden agendas, less game playing, less mystery and a whole lot of politicians out of work - or perhaps they would get into the business of solving real problems.

I digress, and that is because I found it difficult to be courageous. I could not find the magic moment today to show my courage. I wonder as I commit to living a virtue per day, will I find that many are hard to make tangible? At the very least, focusing on courage allowed me to see it more around me. My daughter playing Wii Fitness and taking a chance on a yoga pose when physical balance is a major challenge for her. She sweat it out, worked hard and acted courageous.

Then there is Willow, the new member of the family. An adopted greyhound who seems so totally depressed to me. She had to leave her family of over a year...a married couple with a 10 year old daughter. I think she is sad that she is not seeing her old family. Even though she is not choosing to be courageous, I have given her that quality -- courage to take on a new family of strangers.

The virtues live all around us, and I do believe that by focusing on them, life becomes more of a manifestation of them.

Tomorrow's Virtue...Dignity.