Courage!

SO. Steve Jobs passed. I've been thinking about the word courage. I'm not sure I am capable of the amount of courage it takes to stand up and be what you believe or who you are everyday. But I know I admire most those that do. And then I was thinking of the small moments of what that would take and what it means. And that this post would be about saluting all of those who did that, every day, every moment in a world where it is always easier to put your head under the covers and claim noncompliance, or compliance but no real speakable, or noncommendable and then commendable voice.So many obvious choices, Bill Gates, Abe Lincoln, Coco Chanel, Steve Jobs, Steve McQueen, Alexander McQueeen, to all the queens, Jim Morrison,  Lady Gaga, The Cure, Madonna, and what the heck, while we're on pop stars, Britney. Then I thought about the men and the women I know who have had courage in so many seemingly small ways; the man who said "I do" when really he meant, "I think I do, but what about her shopping sprees?" The woman who said "I will again." After hearing the words "this is no longer a viable life.", how she knew something closer to terror than she ever imagined in those nine (really ten) months than she ever knew she could possibly withstand and got pregnant again. Or the woman who is knocking on the door to forty and would give anything to hear those words, just once. Or to the woman so close to my heart who determined to say "i do" when no one thought it was a good idea and then goodbye after six kids and forty-five years, sell her house and hear from the "stager" that all her worldly possessions would be better put in boxes as they were looking for a look more suitable to a "contemporary neutral buyer". To my favorite kid at the Duncun Donuts drive thru who has a tattoo on his neck in cursive declaring his birth sign "Capricorn" and who I tell everyday as i pick up my coffee to go, "you are going to be so successful, you're a kid in a world where working here isn't cool, but you're a Capricorn and doing it, SO Cool!" ( he'd be cooler if he gave me free coffee but it never works. jk, kinda.)  To the people who land on their shins one day and show up and say, "hi my name is" when they'd rather drown in vomit. or the man who even though it seems like it's not a big deal in 2011 comes out and say's "i dig dudes."  That's courage. We are all so courageous. Showing up to work, showing up to life. Putting the ring on, taking the ring off. It's a lot. It's not revolutionizing technology, but its the ability to send a forward saying I thought of you today, even though I'd rather tell you off today. To show you care. To risk caring. To say hello, to say goodbye.

So I raise my glass, To Steve Jobs, (that I wish will be filled once again only with sparkling water), to all of you courageous courtiers. Those of us who risk everyday, show courage everyday. I love that. I love you.

Good week all, please feel free to share your courageous moments, I live to hear them, S!



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