Courage

I’ve been thinking about courage this morning ... What exactly is ‘courage’? Courage is ‘the ability to confront fear, pain [and] uncertainty ’ is a definition on wikipedia...

Courage is something I’ve needed a lot of over the last few weeks, and some days it seems to be pulsating through me, like lifeblood, whereas on other days it’s a tiny little whisper hidden away somewhere deep inside me and it needs to be gently coaxed out ...

‘Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow’ (Mary Anne Radmacher). I love this quote – it was something I really needed to gently remind myself when I was having a really tough day a few weeks back. Also, ‘courage is being afraid but going on anyhow’ ( Dan Rather)...

To me, courage is what gets me through the toughest times. It’s the inner flame that guides me on even in the darkest hour, but sometimes the flame is tiny and faltering, or it goes out altogether, whereas sometimes it’s blazing like a beacon, confidently leading me forward.

Courage is to take a step forward even though the way ahead is uncertain... And, let’s face it, nothing in life is certain except death ... but even then, there is so much uncertainty about death... it is the end of one phase of life, but maybe it marks the beginning of something new... But let’s not dwell too much on death. Living is what matters right now...

‘Sometimes even to live is an act of courage’ ~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca.

Sometimes, just living one moment at a time, taking one step at a time, takes so much courage it almost seems impossible, yet at other times, it seems effortless to glide forward in leaps and bounds ... but it is in those times where it takes all the courage we can muster to get through each moment, that we really learn and grow... and we become stronger and more resilient ... Like the oak tree that lasts for hundreds of years, it takes time to grow steadily and slowly, and to endure life’s storms...

... Anyway, I’d better draw this blog to a close, because at the mention of trees my mind is wandering onto the topic of gardening, and I’m wishing I’d gone along to my allotment now! Never mind ... it’s been therapeutic to have a morning of being at home with my cats, doing some inner-reflecting and generally loafing around...

Here’s a poem I came across earlier:


IT GIVES MY SOUL COURAGE
it gives my soul courage
to know the impossible
is achievable
and i need
neither to be the strongest
nor the wisest
i need
only to be the best i can be
~lungelo mbatha


Finally, here’s an affirmation:
‘I have the courage to keep going.’

What are your thoughts on courage?
How courageous are you feeling right now?
What inner resources do you draw on to get you through the bad times?