I was told by a friend many years ago that I was brave. Courageous. She was referring to the Disney movie that had just been released about the Brave princess and thought of me when she saw the movie posters. I had never really thought of myself that way, but I considered it a compliment.
It was the mid 2000’s and there had been a major shift in my life. I had moved cross country from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. As a single woman, I had sold most of my belongings, closed my retail store that I loved, and packed up my car & beloved dog and made a dash for the west coast. I had no idea what was going to happen, but I knew that it wasn’t a choice. It was a necessity. I was more afraid of what would happen if I didn’t make a major life change. Now that prospect was scary. Super scary.
It’s a rare thing for me to feel so much conviction. But when courage comes knocking on my door, I ride along with it, sure that it will take me safely to my destination. The naysayers are always there, for sure. But there are also the few cheering me on. They’ve either forged a similar path for themselves, or want to enjoy the journey vicariously through my adventures. Either way, courage keeps pulling along, tugging. "Let’s go. Really. REALLY. It’s time. Let’s go."
I read an article the other day by Dan Rather. I remember him as a kid fondly. He cried on air when the Iranian hostage crisis came to a close in the late 80’s. I was used to these stoic newsmen on the air at 6:30 PM every weeknight, telling us just the facts. But this was more. He showed a bit of himself. It was courageous for a man to act that way on air, and he did it. I have never forgotten that.
Now, he appears in my Facebook feed to remind us all what courage is. Steering us in the right direction to stand up for dreams that we have, or the dreams of others. To ignore the naysayers and the negativity. To do what’s right because deep down, we know that it’s the right thing to do.
Courage, keep tugging at me. I need you right about now.
Images: Courage pubs, courage building, courage art series.