Confidence

It is such an elusive quality, confidence. It isn't aggression, or bravado. It is really hope, in its strongest form. We overuse it these days--"give us an estimate and then tell us your percent confidence in what you just said." It is nothing but a wish transformed into numbers--10% confidence, 75%, how certain are we that our prediction will come true? On Sunday I projected a wish to a friend, with 100% confidence. I told him that I was certain (and I was) that he would see another Wisconsin Spring. I told him that he could contribute a guest blog entry to my CWord blog because I would not presume to write about the reality of living with Hepatitis C.

Last week he voted. This week he is dying. All of my confidence cannot float his lifeboat to May and make my prediction come true. I wish it could.