C is for COURAGE

Life requires courage. 

I'm not talking about facing such disasters as earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, epidemics, and floods.  I'm not talking about the courage to board an airplane or a train or the courage to drive a car.  I'm not talking about the courage to fight off a stranger who is trying to abduct your child or rob you of your precious possessions.

I'm talking about the courage to face everyday life.  And in everyday life, one might need to face an abusive childhood or marriage, the death of a loved one, loss of job, or a serious illness.  I'm talking about the courage to tactically back away from a confrontation rather than to mindlessly attack. 

Courage is not the absence of fear; rather, it is the ability to move forward despite the fear.  Courage is the empowering experience of a decision to stand up and withstand the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune." (from Shakespeare's Hamlet)

I've been told by a few people that I'm a courageous person.  Huh?  Upon contemplation, I realize that I have, indeed, confronted a great deal of hardship in my life, yet I persevere.  I have also been asked from where I get the courage to continue in my life with such an optimistic attitude.  Well, I guess I was just born that way.

What have I had to endure so far?  Hmmm...an abusive childhood, the loss of a child, the mental illness and subsequent suicide of my husband, a few serious medical situations that weren't life-threatening but pretty painful all the same, the diagnosis of my second daughter with Bipolar 2, and then just when things were looking really super, (reconnecting with my first love) he was diagnosed with cancer.  The first go-round almost destroyed us, but this time we're aware of the dangers of losing each other, so are working hard to get through this together.

Then again, I've been told I showed great courage in traveling on my own or with people I hadn't met before to foreign countries.  That surprised me - I mean I know I'm pretty smart as well as savy and would never take any chances.   And I've had so much fun doing it.  Here's me with a new friend in London. I went right up to him and said, "You're gorgeous!" And we went for a short walk.  (click to enlarge)

So, I'm not afraid of storms, flying, or criminals.  I've seen and experienced the worst and have survived!  No matter what life throws at me, I will stand up and move forward despite my fear.

I am woman!  Hear me roar!  "Oh yes, I am wise/But it's wisdom born of pain/Yes, I've paid the price/ But look how much I gained/If I have to, I can do anything/I am strong/I am invincible/I am woman" (Helen Reddy, 1975)

Here are a few quotes I found while researching the topic of courage:

You can gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.  You are able to say to yourself, "I lived through this horror.  I can take the next thing that comes along."  (Eleanor Roosevelt)

Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.  (John Wayne)

Courage is grace under pressure.  (Ernest Hemingway)

I learned that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.  The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.  (Nelson Mandela)

Be assured I'm not looking for sympathy or pats on the back.  I just say it like it is.  If you are so inclined, perhaps you'd like to share an experience where you needed to be courageous in everyday or even in not so everyday life. 

Thanks to the captivating Denise Nesbitt, the creator of ABC Wednesday, and to Roger who currently and very capably administers the weekly workings of the site.