This article was written months ago. Courage in March 2022 takes once again another meaning. An additional depth. With all that I am, I see and support the courage of those fighting against the invasion of Ukraine. At the peril of their life. I have no words. The below then seems almost if not, inappropriate. I humbly yet strongly believe that acts of courage are never, never too small. I pray for peace.

I grew up with the idea that courage belonged to soldiers and war zones.

It was external to me, somehow.

Then one day you find yourself being the target of harmful behavior that threatens your safety and security. It’s a difficult reality to process emotionally so you are tempted to use metaphors that will illustrate your feelings. It’s peripheric to preserve your mental health.

The metaphor has you hiding in a shelter during combat. As shots are fired and you fear for your safety, you begin to realize you have no choice but to leave your shelter and speak out if you want to live and not hide forever.

When you speak up, you’re exposed of course. You know the shots may come from up or down, and often from unexpected places and people. Hypervigilance kicks-in. Sorrow, too. People around may ignore voluntarily the vulnerability of your position that is ultimately meant to protect them, as well.

You’re gunned down by the rooftop sniper. When you regain consciousness you’re alone in a deserted place.

The enemy has won temporarily, and you leave behind the shelter, the team, and that war on human dignity you never wished to partake in, anyway.

You don’t feel like a war hero at all. You begin to reflect on the meaning of courage.

A friendly bird guides you out of the dark forest of sorrows. As you heal your wounds; a simple truth starts to emerge from within you and brings you warmth and light.

You are courageous.

Courage is about doing something, anything, big or small, while being afraid.

It’s affirming what you want and don’t want from life. The only life you possess. The only life given to you.

It’s refusing the permanent shelter of a war zone. A war you did not decide to partake in.

That war sometimes looks like bullying in the workplace. Sometimes it lives inside a toxic relationship. It can be your war with a bottle, a fix, or a compulsion.

It’s about owning your life, on your own terms as much as possible.

And courage is like combat training. The more often you practice it, the better you get at it.

The metaphor of war zone stops the moment you realize courage will teach you not to use weapons to hurt and destroy what is around you. Not really no. It’s more about courage being kind and eye-opening and marvelous with opportunities of joy and connection with others and yourself.

A lesson learned. On to the next.

With courage.

Author: Caroline Desrochers