Courage and Fear

I don't remember who said it, but, at my favorite group I remember hearing the phrase "It is not the absence of fear that shows courage, it is having that fear and doing it anyway".  That was pretty profound for me.  When I first got into AA, I believe I was looking for a way to get rid of the fear -- to shed it.  What AA, and the people in AA have taught me, is that it is learning to live with that fear, to deal with it and move on, rather than ignoring it or hoping it will go away is the real way to maintain sobriety.  To ignore the fear, to deny it's existence is to put me right back where I started.  To see the fear, to understand and to deal with it (and, yes, a great deal of time, sometimes even laugh at it), is so much healthier and such a freeing experience.  It has allowed me to grow a great deal and deal with life on life's terms, rather than solely on mine