Two things happened recently.  First, a professor told me that he thought I was really brave to make the transition back to school (at my age was sort of implied).  Then I stumbled across this quote from E.E. Cummings:

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.

The thing is, I think they might both be wrong.  Rather than courage and bravery, I think it might first take fear.  Fear that you’ll be more miserable not making a change.  Fear that you’ll slowly die (creatively, intellectually, emotionally and yes even physically) doing the same job year after year.  Fear that the world will be missing something wonderful because you wouldn’t get off your butt and create it.  Fear that not changing will end up being harder and more difficult and more gut wrenching than the change process itself. 

Besides, can we really be courageous without fear?  Does it qualify as bravery if we’re not at least a little afraid?  Can we grow into what we’re really capable of doing if we don’t fear the consequences of not growing?   Fear is an impetus for action.

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Or can your fear

actually help you

move forward?

Last night I took my beloved dog, Eleanor, to a fundraiser swim being held by the Omaha Humane Society at one of the closing city public pools.  We met our neighbors John, Norma and Bailey there - much to everyone’s enjoyment. 

The pool was one of the new kinds - with two water slides, a lake-like ramp in the shallow end and water fountains that shoot up and down in various locations.  Two little diving boards, but no high dives. 

Eleanor loves water and dogs and it was a lot of fun to watch her with the two together.  So I did a lot of watching.  It was fascinating.  The people interacting with each other, the dogs interacting with each other, people and dogs interacting together.  There was a lot of risk taking happening in all these interactions.  Lots of trust all around and occasionally some panic. 

The most fascinating was the two water slides.  It was impossible to predict which dogs would make it up the steps and down the slide. 

Which reminds me of people.  I think it’s difficult, if not impossible, to predict who will rise to the occasion, take the right series of risks and succeed in business.  This means we can continue to guess wrongly or we can choose not to pass any judgment and to maybe even offer a little encouragment to everyone we interact with to persevere with their ventures.  For me, the second option seems by far the more productive and compassionate.  I suspect your dog would agree. 

Below is Eleanor venturing forth to enjoy the water and other dogs.