take courage

A thought that has crystallised in my mind in the past weeks is that my greatest deprivation may be the fact that I want for nothing. In this lies the comfort-coated danger of a narcotic convenience that blinds and gags me, while tying my hands and feet with all the wants that have become needs. In the face of all of this I am acutely aware of how desperately I need more courage:

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. – C. S. Lewis

We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Who could refrain that had a heart to love and in that heart courage to make love known? – William Shakespeare

My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.  – Maya Angelou

And in conclusion, remember to pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe of the beauty all around us…