For a New Day

May this message be a gentle and powerful way to begin your day. The word ‘courage’ comes from the Latin word ‘cor’ which means heart. Courage, therefore, is not something we need to import into our lives or wish for. Courage already lives within us with each beat of the heart. May we simply awaken to the courage that is already beating within. We also have an inner reservoir of wisdom from which we can draw upon at every moment. Both courage and wisdom rely upon our willingness to welcome the full range of human emotions—from anger and sadness to joy and delight.  These inner resources don’t require perfection, but presence. These inner resources don’t offer answers but awareness. Our capacity to show-up as fully as we can to this day is the essential work of being human. Presence is a superpower not because it enables us to do supernatural tasks, but because presence empowers all the other powers and capacities we have. Some days, the practice is to lean in. Other days, the practice is to take a step back. Sometimes, we are called to trust ourselves in new and scary ways. And other times, our practice is to grant ourselves permission to rest or feel joy. Presence allows us to understand the paradox that everything belongs: Yes and no. Opening and closing. Loving and being loved. Speaking and Listening. Grieving and rejoicing. Activity and stillness. As we begin a fresh day, may we live into these beautiful paradoxes as fully and deliberately as our boundless hearts allow. Weekend Wisdom is a weekly sharing from Copper Beech Institute’s founder, Dr. Brandon Nappi.