Lately I have been thinking about the word "courage." When we think about courage, we think about people that often have placed themselves in situations that require bravery, perseverance, and fighting against the odds. Some that come to mind for me at first thought are Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Helen Keller...the list goes on and on. These people are famous for their courage. So where does that leave us? What does courage look like for us in our daily, and sometimes obscure, lives?
When I think about those who are famous for their courage and the lengths that they went to in order to accomplish what they did, my life all of a sudden feels very small and my level of courage even smaller. Lions are often the symbol of courage. I do not think of myself as a lion, but rather something a little more timid, a little more afraid, and a lot less confident.
However, when I look at the definition of "courage" in its core context, I feel somewhat different.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines courage as "the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous."
This, I do everyday.
Everyday I wake up, get out of bed, do what needs to get done and some. I work, go to school, take care of my house and my family, and I learn from all of that.
LIFE is difficult. LIFE is dangerous.
We are all courageous in our core.
We are all lions.
Be courageous and unleash the lion today.
"Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.'"
[-mary anne radmacher]
