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From: Russ Hicks
Date: 10/7/02
Time: 8:14:31 PM
Remote Name: 12.237.31.119
Hi Steve, and thank you for your kind words.
I don't really consider myself as a courageous person, but maybe I am and just don't realize it. As you well know from my many stories I was dragged kicking and screaming to my first series of NSA meetings. Lee Reeves didn't give me a choice! And I was forced almost at gunpoint to join Toastmasters. The spirit of Jim Black also didn't give me a choice. So I was forced into being courageous - against my will! If that is courage, so be it.
I do realize, however, that the appearance of courage is contagious. Just like enthusiasm. People pick it up from one another just like the little Mexican girl Sandra in the school and the guy in Toastmasters picked it up from me. It's not really important if I was really courageous or not, they SAW it and picked it up accordingly. Hey, I'll take that! If what I do inspires courage in other people, that's really cool!
Your statement that stutterers in general are typically more courageous than other people is probably true. We face situations sometimes dozens of time every day that might scare the pants of other people. But just like my experiences above, we really don't have much of a choice if we want to live. And if we can impart that courage to other people, that's part of this mysterious "gift of stuttering" that we have. I like to believe that's true anyway.
Thanks for you comments, Steve! See ya in Nashville if not before!
Russ