The Miracle Isn’t

At some point in time you realize most people people don’t look at the world the same way you do. When I was very young I had no idea what a shy person was or a worried person, or a scared person. I thought most people were like me. I wasn’t afraid, I wasn’t worried and I wasn’t shy. I was excited about trying new things, exploring vacant lots, riding my bike to the town next door, swim in the surf, or something like that. Eventually life gave me lessons and I learned about being worried and scared and shy, but I still didn’t know that for some people it was something they carried with them all the time. The first time I really understood how fear ruled some people’s lives was when I started teaching drawing. Some students were just PETRIFIED of taking the class, petrified of failing, of not being able to learn, of looking stupid. The fear list always goes on and on. Obviously, if they were in my class they had already taken the first step. They had begun. They now had help. They had direction, encouragement, progress to see. They all finished the class, they all were able to draw much better than when they came in. None of them were made fun of, none were embarrassed, none were left behind. If you are one who is fearful of things, worried or shy, then get yourself into a group or class. Get into a running group, or a reading, bird-watching, rock and roll, dancing, skydiving, geneology, swimming, theatre, or something else. Just take the first step, the rest will take care of itself. Don’t stay home alone, don’t wish it were different. Go, take the step. “The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is I had the courage to start.” – John Bingham