photo courtesy of cottage960.com
If you think courage is reserved for those running into burning buildings, fighting wars and criminals on the streets I can assure you, you are wrong. Courage: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty, thank you Merriam-Webster. I had no idea what I would be posting as it’s been quite a roller coaster ride for me this week.
Roller coaster ride or not, I attended a Grand Opening of my dear friends’ new floral design store in White Plains, NY called Bloom Floral Design. The store is beautiful, centrally located, lots of traffic, nearby parking and they’ve already proven their success at their other store, A Bed of Roses. But to look at Carl I knew this took courage. Not trusting or knowing that the Universe is in line with you but going ahead anyway…courage. But should that be the post?
I had my answer when I got home. I had an email from one of my dearest friends who has applied for a new position; a promotion. There was a case study to be completed and she aced it. I knew courage would have to be my post theme. To take a chance on something new, to put you out there, to consider a move, to leave the comfort of, well, everything takes enormous courage. I am in awe of her; she is insightful, intelligent, savvy and yet holds compassion in the highest regard. The exhaustion of putting together the case study on her own left her spent and ready for a sleep that would allow her to let it go. I know like I know that she will awaken to her very bright future and that I am beyond proud to be her friend.
My sister is embarking on a new lease on life herself. She’s gone to the gym, come with me to Zumba, taken her health and nutrition, her life back into her own hands after struggling with a loss so deep she couldn’t believe she would ever recover. She is celebrating a love rather than mourning it, she is taking all the lessons learned and putting them into her daily rounds. She is reducing her stress and her need to be “the go to person” while not letting go of her caring and thoughtful disposition. To take these steps forward and on her own…courage.
She has had her share of health issues in the past. Several surgeries under her belt and I often said to her, that I could not do what she does. Be brave in the face of threatened health. I can withstand any amount of stress and pressure you throw at me but to find myself in a hospital would devastate me. So I thought. In the past two weeks I have undergone a breast biopsy, a hysteroscopy with the intent of removing polyps and repairing a tear. I was brave. I was surprised that I was brave but I found that I too have courage. More so now that each of these procedures produced that most treasured outcome of, benign.
The ability to summon up mental strength to venture out into a new business, to take a chance on oneself, or to face the realities of getting older all require courage. Although the courage comes in varying degrees it is nevertheless courage. Who are we to question what it takes for another to do something they find difficult. All we can do is stand back and recognize their courage, tell them we are there for them, whether or not they want us is up to them. In the past two weeks I have learned what courage is and how to recognize it more easily. It is all around me and I while I am grateful for those doing the fighting on our behalf I am more grateful to have the lessons from those living the moments of every day courage all around us.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. ~Ambrose Redmoon