A Little Bit Brave

This is a story of a 4 year old boy told by his father:

Having been potty-trained and taught how to use the potty by himself at night, the 4 year old little boy was learning independence and how to be a grown-up. One night the little boy standing in the dark hallway outside of the bathroom started calling out for his Daddy. His Daddy went to him and asked what’s wrong, “You know how to go potty by yourself,” he said. The little boy responded, “I’m a little bit brave of the dark, and I’m a little bit scared of the dark.”

Isn’t that true of all of us? We are all a little bit brave and a little bit scared. In recovery. Recovered. As clinicians. As grown-ups. As 4 year old little boys and girls. We are at once confident and afraid. The expectation to be “all brave” is paralyzing. It’s OK to be both scared and brave as we move through the darkness. Yes, we might wet our pants along the way. Yet we can choose to keep moving.