I’ve received a lot of wonderful feedback on my post, “The things we hide (get ready for the raw).” Many of you as well as friends and family said that they were touched by my honesty and courage, and even told me about the things they hide in order to protect themselves. The feedback got me thinking about what it means to have courage.
I’ve always thought of myself more as the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz. But, I’ve come to realize that having moments of being afraid or insecure about uncertainty doesn’t make me cowardly, it just means that at that moment, I’m feeling something that is real for me.
We all have things we are more courageous about than others. For instance, I have no problem picking up a spider and escorting him out of the house. But, every three months as I’m headed for my doctor’s visits, I’m a mound of jiggly anxiety-jello. But I go. And that’s the courage. Until recently, I thought of myself as a wimp because I freak out over these appointments, but I push through and go anyway.
Right now, I have a friend whose son is fighting an unimaginable medical fight. He’s three and He. Is. Fighting. He’s fighting through pain that no one should have to endure. His courage is tremendously inspiring. We call him ‘the little ninja’. He’s taught me a lot this past week about endurance and bravery to the extent that if I catch myself hemming and hawing about doing something I think, “if the little ninja can plow through his fight, you can do anything.” He truly is an inspiration.
What I’ve learned is that I used to think that word courage was reserved for warriors headed into battle, uncertain of what’s awaiting them. But we’re all warriors fighting our own battles aren’t we? Each one just as real for us as the soldier on the front line.
Feeling afraid doesn’t make us cowardly, it makes us human. Pressing on despite those fears is what makes us warriors. And the bravest move of all is letting go and having faith.
For Joshua,
– Your Charmed Yogi
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