A poem by Mary Anne Radmacher
Courage doesn’t always roar
sometimes courage is the quiet voice
at the end of the day saying,
“I will try again tomorrow.”
It takes courage
to change your style,
your opinion,
the path you walk…
your hat!
It takes courage to let go
of the weighty parts of your past.
It takes courage
to find your own voice.
It takes courage
to reinvent joys,
to reinvent opportunities,
to reinvent dreams,
to reinvent connections…
to reinvent hopes
that you have set aside.
It takes courage to accept
that the way you “have always been”
does not determine the way you are.
It takes courage
to stand in a place
you didn’t know existed…
and learn from a view
you previously couldn’t imagine.
It takes courage to let go
of your assumptions
and fly your dreams as a
soaring invitation to become
the best version of yourself.
It takes courage to stand for your convictions.
It takes courage to give up control.
And it takes courage to recognize you are perfect
just the way you are.
Change of any sort, requires courage…
Courage to write a new story of your life
with the pen of each day
…of every moment.
Tell yourself this little story when you need it –
“I have the courage to stand
in whatever the weather brings…
and understand that everything is washable.
Everything is fixable,
and everything is replaceable
but my time and breath.”
The opportunity for greater courage
comes in the most ordinary moments.
Courage sings the praises
of the sturdy souls and says to them,
“Today I will borrow a little of your courage
and see what garden I can water
with the healing of my tears;
and what growing things I can nurture
with the strength of my laughter.”
Courage is defined more by its contrasts
than it sameness,
more by its risks
than its security.
Courage is content to make no excuses.
Courage, dressed in intentional change,
is the most ferocious response to fear.
Courage acts without regret.
Courage laughs right out loud.
Have the courage
to walk out the door
and let possibilities discover you.
Have the courage
to wander and parades will find you.
Courage.
As you weigh the many possibilities of your day
measure your action with this question,
“How would I most like to remember this?”
Your chosen answer becomes
your natural action and
your unique opportunity
for courage.
Perspective in the large.
Grace in the small.
An open hand.
A practiced pause.
A YES!
Courage doesn’t always roar.