Quiet Courage

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day, saying I will try again tomorrow." ~Mary Anne Radmacher

I just love this quote. Too often in our culture, we rush to glorify flashy, grand acts of heroism, rescue and achievement, but we fail to recognize that it might've taken the exact same amount of courage for someone to just get up and keep swinging the bat for another day in the midst of a trauma, loss or setback.

While true heroism is wonderful and we should celebrate that and instill that in our children as the way to act - selflessly, with a kind, generous heart......I think it's also very important to celebrate things that may be small victories in the eyes of the masses, but are monumental to the individual. And a lot of that celebrating should be done for and by ourselves, since we are the ones who know how hard something can be.

During very devastating times in my own life, I remember it was a big victory to only have to go in an empty conference room to cry ONCE in a workday! Yes, that actually was something to celebrate at one point for me! And then came the day that I didn't cry at all for an entire day - WOW!

It truly is amazing to me that I found the courage to make the move down here, start a new job and buy a house all at once - and all by myself. To remember the times when I couldn't stop crying and then to have the strength, determination and courage to do big things just a few years later is astounding to me.

But I know a LOT of strong people who have lived through and found courage through MUCH worse things than I can even dream of - and I have used them as role models, encouragement and inspiration. Good really CAN come out of bad. That's the beauty of courage - it's not just the person displaying the courage that benefits - it's everyone who's watching too. Courage is contagious!