Courage

I'm someone who practices yoga regularly.  This morning's theme was about the heart and courage.  Courage is not about the absence of fear, it's about moving through the fear.  It's about not becoming stifled or stuck in fear, taking one step at a time.

Dementia can be a scary path.  Fear is not something we talk about a whole lot, but it lurks around the corner.  Fear of 'will there be enough money' 'are we doing the right thing' 'can we really keep her in her home the rest of her life' 'will she wander and get lost'.  Fear of losing the Mom we knew, fear of our own brain fate, fear of the unknown.

Every day there is fear.  But I know if I approach it with an open heart and mind and trust in the courage of those who have traveled before me, I can face anything.  Mom's shrinking bank account, the slow movingness of the conservator, the craziness of family members, the unknown of it all.

Voyageur gave me a card years ago - on the front it says 'With courage greater than your fear, jump into the unknown and you will fly.'  Clearly it's meant for embarking on some scary adventure, and that's exactly what we are doing.  The path of dementia doesn't have to be all sadness, grief, tears.  There is great joy in realizing what is important.  Love, family, friends, laughter.  Mom is a much wiser woman than I realized.  I have a much closer relationship with her and Voyageur than I would have had if there had been no dementia.

It is with no coincidence that the root of courage is coeur (Fr.) meaning heart.  The only way to move through fear is with love, the heart, courage.

Yo. Voyageur - back at ya.