Fear is not always loud. Sometimes it arrives with a clipboard and several reasonable explanations.
It may say the timing is not quite right, the other person probably forgot, the situation was complicated, or bringing it up would be awkward. Any one of those things could be true. Fear becomes difficult to recognize when it borrows the language of good judgment.
Step Nine includes real cautions, especially around injury. That means hesitation cannot automatically be labeled fear, and fear cannot automatically be labeled wisdom. They sometimes wear the same coat.
This is one reason amends are discussed so carefully in recovery. The question is not whether fear exists. Fear often exists. The question is what the words of the Step actually mean in the situation.
What are some reasonable-sounding ways fear can appear around Step Nine?
