Want to Stay Connected beyond my Substack? I am honored to have you here. Read on and enjoy, and if you feel so inclined check out what other great offerings I am working on currently! I would love to spread the love beyond this substack. Thank you for being here!
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Courage
Definition: noun, the ability to do something that frightens one. "she called on all her courage to face the ordeal"
or, strength in the face of pain or grief. "he fought his illness with great courage"
I read this definition, and to be honest it just seems too simple. Basic. Not deep enough in the idea of what I feel like I have been reaching for over the last couple of years. The courage that I have been digging deep to find just feels a bit meatier…but hard to find sometimes. At the same time, courage can be there for you, like a good friend and able to surface for you when you need it most. Not just in the fight or flight stages of our lives.
I like the idea of being able to source courage in a simple and loving capacity. This word needs a bit more appreciation! To find our courage doesn't mean we have to climb Mt. Everest or do the most impossible to discover our courage. It is the repeated bit size pieces of life that show up that make us dive for our courage.
I was reading David Whyte’s latest Substack, Courage and pretty much nailed it in all the ways. It is a must read, and in fact I actually printed it out. There is so much juicy writing here for all of us to read over and over again. So, go read it! I am grabbing some nuggets to share, but it's worth it to take the whole thing in.
“…To be courageous is not necessarily to go anywhere or do anything, except to make conscious those things we already feel deeply and then to live through the unending vulnerabilities of those consequences…” -david Whyte, Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words
Let it sink in a bit. Maybe read it one more time.
Wow, to make us conscious of those things we already feel deeply…so yummy right! I reflect on some of the things I feel deeply right now.
To love my body for what it is now, so different and at times damaged. I can consciously be aware, find the courage to accept this deeply, this takes vulnerability like no other. Being raised as a female in this world, perfect body image is basically ingrained in us. No matter how I look at my body, at times I fall into that negative space of self judgement, it takes absolute courage to come out of that space and humbly love what is in front of me. (Crooked boobs, scars and all.) I know this body I have been given is a gift. I do not say this to be cliche, I really honestly feel this way after this past year with breast cancer. Man, still to this day, typing those words sends chills down my spine.
I do believe our bodies are gifts to be honored and in the end, it takes courage every single day to make an effort to take care of it and love it deeply. It will remain a work in progress for the rest of my life.
It takes courage to live each day right now in a world full of chaos, madness, disaster….all the things. I think there are several other words that I am missing right now, but you get my point. This courage is not taking on this terrible world as a whole. This courage is at its best, getting out of bed each morning, and doing the best we can to raise our kids and love our partners and appreciate our lives. I reflect on this passage from David Whyte….
“From the inside, it can feel like confusion; only slowly do we learn what we really care about, and allow our outer life to be realigned in that gravitational pull. With maturity, that robust vulnerability comes to feel like the only necessary way forward, the only real invitation, and the surest, safest ground from which to step. On the inside we come to know who and what and how we love and what we can do to deepen that love; only from the outside, and only by looking back, does it look like courage…” --david Whyte, Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words
I want to take this passage and engrain it on my heart. To be able to sit with who and what and how I love so that I can deepen it and share it with the world around me. Right now, my world might only need to be my kids and Michael. Or, just those important humans in my life that need the extra love. This is a courageous act that my kids can witness and I can only hope that through osmosis they carry this on for themselves and the humans in their lives. We are not capable to take on the world, that is an impossible courage. Bit size pieces that can start at your heart. This is where we need to hang for a bit and savour.
For you, who would that be? Who and what and how can you love today, just a bit deeper?
How can we live up to the consequences of this love?
Can our own courageous acts simply be to love the person next to us?
To maybe move your body today more than yesterday? Or, cook a nourishing meal for a friend. Maybe, in the struggles of life you sit with a friend, quietly, allowing them to cry and sit in their discomfort. Listen, and maybe you do not solve anything but you just love them. This courageous act does not need to be a drastic action. Just a sweet observation of deeper love for yourself, the people around you, and the world we are living in.
I invite you to walk softly today, breathe in the air, and ask yourself what courageous act can I offer myself or someone else in my world today?
With deep love and appreciation for every single one of you today!
