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?

Intimacy v Solitude ...

'We all need time alone, and time with others'

~ writes Shakti Gawain, in her book 'Awakening' ...

she adds:

'We all need a minimum amount of time to be with ourselves each day. It's important to give ourselves that, no matter how many people there are who need us. (In fact, if you have many people who need you, you probably need more time alone than most!)
It's a time when we can connect to who we really are and what we really need. It's a way to connect with our inner knowingness.
As well as alone time, we also need the feeling of closeness and connection to others. '

An Affirmation:
'I recognise my need for being alone and for being together. I give myself both.'

Things to reflect upon ...

~ It's a case of trying to get a healthy balance between solitude and togetherness. And that balance will differ for each of us ... and it will also differ on different days ... on some days, we might crave company ... whereas on other days, we crave isolation more ...

Questions ...

How healthy is your balance, between having 'alone time' and 'together time'?

Are there any changes you'd like to make?

What will you have to do, to put these changes in place?

Do you generally prefer being on your own, or with company?

Has this always been the case?

~~~~

pic © Alison Brown; Allen Banks, Northumberland, UK

Passing Judgement ...

'Of all the judgements we pass in life, none is more important than the judgment we pass on ourselves'

by Nathaniel Branden

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What do you think?

Are there times in life when you judge yourself harshly?

Are you able to forgive yourself easily & move on?

- please feel free to comment! -