\nThese precious few hours\u00a0were just\u00a0enough time for a flying visit to the Basilica di San Francesco, sit a\u00a0meditation in the cave where\u00a0St Francis used to meditate and pray\u00a0at\u00a0the Eremo delle Carceri\u00a0and climb\u00a0the many steps to the Rocca Maggiore, a towering fortress more than 800 years old.
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Visiting the museum at the Rocca I ‘got talking’ (in my ‘creative’ Italian) to the old museum keeper, Paolo. He struck me as a traditional kind of Italian man, larger than life, boisterous and charming. He listened intently to my story and suddenly, with great enthusiasm, started\u00a0touching his chest near his heart and pointing at me said ” Coraggio, coraggio” (“Courage, courage”). While surprised I kind of liked hearing this acknowledgement,\u00a0it made me pause and helped me see that yes, indeed, a lot of courage had gone into getting to this moment in\u00a0Paolo’s museum.\nBeing back\u00a0in Assisi now, climbing the same steps, I keep reflecting\u00a0on ‘courage’. It has\u00a0often been said to me that I am\u00a0courageous and I can see that much of what I do in my life looks courageous. I don’t,however, set out to be courageous and most of the times I don’t\u00a0feel particulalry courageous.\u00a0It’s more like the poet Davis Whyte reflects: ”\u00a0Courage is the measure of our heartfelt participation with life, with another, with a community, a work, a future.” .<\/em>
\nWe often admire the grand gestures of courage-the mountain scaled, the survival against the odds, the heroic act of \u00a0entering a burning building to save another. Yes, these are acts of courage and witnessing courage\u00a0on such a scale is indeed inspiring and moving.
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But what about everyday, ‘ordinary’ courage? Think of\u00a0the courage it takes to say a whole-hearted ‘yes’ to being\u00a0there for another-a sick partner\u00a0perhaps or an aging parent;\u00a0the courage to commit to stand up for oneself or another- to\u00a0say no when needed; the courage it requires to keep leaning into\u00a0the wounded places seeking insight and healing;\u00a0\u00a0the courage called for\u00a0to trust again after the heart has been wounded; the courage we sometimes have to dig deep for\u00a0to have faith in life though we know how uncertain it is;\u00a0\u00a0the courage \u00a0to live a life of creativity, authenticity and compassion, to choose and choose again to follow one’s inner compass.\nRobert Frost said: “Freedom\u00a0lies in being bold” <\/em>and perhaps this quote is also true the other way round: in order to be bold we need to claim a level of freedom for ourselves.
\nI hope, that\u00a0reading this connects you more fully to your own courage so that you may draw strength and inspiration from it. Courage begets courage.\u00a0Qualities that you might recognize courage by are: perseverance, steadfastness, commitment, vision. resilience and curiosity. And don’t be discouraged by the dance courage does with fear, it does this in all of us.<\/p>\n
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Just as in my response\u00a0when Paolo reflected my courage at the museum, you might not easily see where in life you are courageous. Perhaps you could make it a practice to notice your acts of courage, small and large and appreciate them. If you find it hard to connect with your\u00a0courage, perhaps think of your family and friends, see their courage and see how this might help you see your own. Or, if you are all out of examples (which I very much doubt) look at humanity, and the daily acts of courage that we see and hear about. And ask the trusted people in your life how they notice your courage-you might be surprised. It might just be like the poet John O’Donahue says:<\/p>\n
“Gather all the kindling May courage be a solid companion to you. I am off to a gospel concert in the Basilica, tonight is the start of the Sacred Music Festival.<\/p>\n Herzlichst
\nAbout your heart
\nTo create one spark.
\nThat is all you need
\nTo nourish the flame”<\/em><\/p>\n
\nSabina<\/strong><\/p>\n
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