19 Comments

“Cowardice is opting to sit on the sidelines because of fear. Courage isn’t playing without fear, it’s playing despite fear.” Such a powerful realization. Substitute “playing” for “living” and this is also so true. You live with courage. You have self-assessed this 11 year olds fear, challenged it and have come to understanding its power over you, courageously conquering the very thing you “feared” the most. All the while learning a little more about yourself. Beautiful!!

Expand full comment

Thanks for your wise, as always, input and reflection on my writing, Dad. Your comment nails the power of writing and sharing that writing publicly: It allows you to explore and understand parts of yourself that you could never tap into if you didn't write down exactly what you think about them. Writing is clear thinking. And there is no better way to challenge and conquer your demons and to put into order the story of your life than to write about it.

Expand full comment

Loved this piece Jack and to watch your evolution as you continually to deepen into your storytelling. Especially on how the fight must continue to be fought — courage isn’t some fixed result but this continuous process of showing up. Again and again.

Way to go on this piece (:

Expand full comment

Thanks tommyboy, appreciate you buddy. This was a story that lived within me for a long time and it feels good to share it, release it out into the world so it can no longer hold power over me.

You nailed it when you said courage is a continuous process of showing up. I think that's the best definition of courage there is: show up in each moment in the most useful way you can.

Expand full comment

Loved supporting you through this one. Such a vulnerable and real story and very relatable for me. And I always appreciate when you include these pictures in nature -- looks like you had a great few days camping. Just got back from vacation so only seeing the published version of this now, but want to call you out for the digging process it took to unearth the real story here a couple weeks ago.

Expand full comment

Thanks so much for your help on this essay, Jeremy. More importantly than anything else, you helped me better understand my relationship to these parts of my life by pushing me with your edits to dig deeper. And I cannot thank you enough for that.

Very happy with how this essay turned out and the clarity it gave me on who I am, what I stand for, and how I’ve dealt with struggle in my life.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the pictures and can’t wait to see some of your own from your most recent travels.

Expand full comment

Like you, I know how the fear of injury can limit your performance in sports. In my case, it happened in a basketball game where I landed on someone's foot and twisted my ankle. Not as traumatic as your injuries (those sound really bad!), but still big enough to affect my season. Since then, I've been hyper-aware of the fallibility of my body, and it manifests as playing safer. As you say, we tend to have blissful ignorance of what can happen to us before we get injured, and afterwards things are different.

I think it's great that you were able to keep meeting this fear over and over, rather than let it guide you. Thanks for this essay, Jack.

Expand full comment

Jeremy, thank you so much for reading and for this comment sharing your own story.

You summarized my experience with injury so well here: "Since then, I've been hyper-aware of the fallibility of my body, and it manifests as playing safer." That is exactly it. Thank you for helping to summarize and succinctly word this experience we have both shared.

I don't think we ever get to stop meeting fear, resistance, and discomfort. Life is much better lived if we continuously face and overcome those things that would otherwise haunt us if we left them in an unexplored cavern of our minds. Thanks again for reading and for this great comment, I appreciate you.

Expand full comment

Rad article man - as a dude who has broken both arms both legs i can relate to the confusion, the pain, and most of all the suck of wearing a cast (and the awful stink) - good luck on the return from the wild and the harnessing of all your powers

Expand full comment

Thanks for reading pal. WOW both arms and legs is brutal. There's gotta be some stories behind those injuries. Trying to harness a little more power with each week of routine, repetition, and ritual :)

Expand full comment

While I never played contact sports, or maybe because I never did, this piece hit me, Jack. Well done once again.

Expand full comment

Thanks so much for reading and for your kind words, Jeremy. You certainly don't need to play contact sports to be courageous. I think demonstrating courage really just means showing up in each moment in the most useful manner you can. And that, I am sure you do.

Expand full comment

I could see a piece like this really helping young athletes to connect with their own experience in an honest and vulnerable way. I don't know what magazines or sites to look for, but I'm wondering if you might consider submitting it to relevant organizations.

Expand full comment

Thank you for reading, Rick. That's a great thought that had never crossed my mind -- it would be really neat if this post helped youth who were going through similar experiences. I have no idea what those magazines/sites/organizations would be, but it's something for me to consider.

Expand full comment

"Then it hit me: I had never been a coward. Not in high school and not now.

Cowardice is opting to sit on the sidelines because of fear.

Courage isn’t playing without fear, it’s playing despite fear.

Although I felt fearful and timid, I always took action. I joined the football and rugby teams when I could have easily stuck to soccer. No one knew the internal battle I was fighting but me. And I showed up to fight that battle every day as courageously as I could.

It’s a battle I will never stop fighting."

Love this story, Jack! Would love to share it with your permission.

Expand full comment

Niall, thank you for reading. I'm so glad you enjoyed. And yes, please do share it! I would be honoured for it to be apart of your story sharing mission.

Expand full comment

Love it! Would you be okay with me attaching the football team photo with the note? It connects nicely with your story.

Expand full comment

Absolutely! Go for it. Thanks for taking this great initiative Niall and offering to share my story :)

Expand full comment

Perfect!! Looking forward to sharing it over the coming weeks :)

Expand full comment