Life requires courage. Every day, every situation, every hurdle, every average moment. Courage is a necessity. In the hard times, when you just don’t know how you’re going to get through, courage is needed to survive and keep going. Some days it takes courage just to keep breathing. Courage is needed in the easy times, too, because sometimes the easy is boring and the mundane can often feel just as weighty as the seemingly insurmountable.
I’m having to tap into the courage reserves a lot these days. To stay positive, to stay strong. To examine my faults and flaws and honestly own up to them. To say what I want and what I need, even if I’m embarrassed by it. To have hope. To avoid hate. To guide my children. To support their relationship with their father. To embrace this life even if it’s not the one I planned for. To forgive. To start over. These are the things I am trying to do and they’re not easy for me. Some go completely against my nature and require me to actively ignore the way I’m naturally hard-wired. And the toughest part? There’s absolutely no guarantee that giving it my best shot is going to get me where I want or need to be.
That’s where the courage comes in. On those days when I’m having trouble finding mine, I just look around for inspiration and I always, always find it:
She courageously cares for a child whose disabilities make a “normal” life impossible.
She courageously kicked cancer’s ass.
She courageously lives life without succumbing to the paralytic “what if” of a medical anamoly that can’t be resolved. So does he.
She has the courage to even begin to walk away from a relationship that stifles her.
She finds courage to love and to trust.
She courageously fights her addictions.
She has the courage to get married again.
She finds the courage, every day, to be a better mother than her mom was.
She courageously keeps looking for a job in today’s awful economy, even though she’s been looking for one for so long. So does he.
She courageously buries a mother. He courageously buries a father. They courageously bury a child.
She has the courage to have another baby.
She courageously still believes in the fairy tale, even though it’s never found her.
She has the courage to grow old gracefully.
She courageously keeps trying.
I won’t name names, but if you recognize yourself in the above, thank you. Seeing your courage helps me find mine, every day.
I need to give props and link you to two other blogs today. Heather of the EO got me to start thinking about courage. Jen at Momalom pushed me to post about it. I hope I haven’t stolen from them too much.
I am addicted to your blog. And I think this particular posting may be one of your best. What spirit you have, my friend. Courageous spirit, I’d say.
Thanks Mere, I needed to hear this today. and yesterday, probably tomorrow. Feel a bit more courageous now
Oh yes. We don’t have to look far to find others who are worse off, do we? When my struggles feel overwhelming, I can call on a list of folks similar to yours, and then, almost immediately, I feel both relieved and guilty. But. Regardless of the weight of our worries, it does take courage to get through most days.
I love the quote…and the reminder to just look around for inspiration when we are looking for a little courage ourselves.
I too, am surrounded by courageous women
I SO needed THIS today. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Courage is all around us, in our friends whose struggles dwarf our own, in the resilience of children. Thanks for sharing your words!
What a lovely tribute to all the myriad ways courage abounds.
What most resonated with me today: To say what I want and what I need, even if I’m embarrassed by it.
Can I request a full post on just that? Why does doing that take SO much courage? Are we afraid we might get it?
It takes courage to walk an unplanned path. Here’s hoping your journey is more beautiful than you could have imagined. And isn’t it lovely the courage and hope we find in this community of bloggers?
[...] other three most frequently read posts this year were “I A Little Crying,” “Find A Little Courage,” and “Marriage Farce.” When I go back and re-read these, I can tap right back [...]