What puts the Ape in Apricot?
Cowardly Lion: Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the “ape” in apricot? What have they got that I ain’t got?
All: Courage!
Cowardly Lion: You can say that again! Huh?
I’ve been thinking a lot about courage lately, since finding this lovely blog devoted to it: Incourage
And I’ve decided that I’ve been thinking about courage all wrong. It’s not one thing, like being tidy or Facing Down Very Bad Things in Large and Courageous Ways. It’s about every little decision I make, every tiny movement toward courage or fear.
As an introvert, it takes courage to extend friendship and trust that it will be returned.
As a writer, it takes courage to believe that I can get published, that all these countless “gigs” will one day add up to something.
As a teacher, it takes courage to study for certification and care about helping my kids learn to ride.
As a wife, a friend, a daughter, a human, it takes courage to love deeply.
As a person, I am shaped by either courage or its absence.
After all, who wants to be a “ricot”?
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