I believe it is a fallacy that some people are brave and others, many of us, are simply not. I also believe we do not know how brave we truly are until we are in the position where bravery is necessary. If my life’s experience has taught me anything, it is that life changes on a dime, survival instinct kicks in…and bravery becomes the only way forward.
Ordinary people experience extraordinary challenges all the time. When these challenges present themselves, fear is probably the most common reaction. After all, if these challenges were common, we would have a road map to deal with them. Just the reality that we do not have those coping skills at the ready causes the fear. But recognizing that fear, and knowing we are capable of donning our cape of bravery, propels us forward. Confidence builds upon itself, and before long, we are fighting our fear and it becomes less powerful.
When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt used the phrase, we have “nothing to fear but fear itself” it was to garner hope and courage in his first inauguration speech. History shows us that he was looking ahead and preparing the world for a frightening future. This is not a call to arms, but a recognition that we are the same people that met the demands of wars, famine, pandemics and the like. Everyone was fearful, but most faced their fears and survived and prevailed. We are much stronger than we imagine, and our strength makes us braver than we imagined.
A few weeks ago, four children were found wandering the Columbian Amazon Forest forty days after a plane crash that killed, among others, their mother. The children ranged in age from 13 years old to just barely one year. They took care of each other and survived. Disaster revealed strengths these children would never have anticipated.
My goal is to show anyone who is faced with what could feel a disaster that they are stronger and more capable of bravery than they thought possible. Being tested can be excruciating. Medical issues propel us into a world that may be unfamiliar and filled with diagnoses and procedures that are terrifying. But getting through and looking back on our road to survival shows us we moved past our fear, and that fills us with the knowledge we wore our cape of bravery proudly!
Beautiful written and very helpful.
These days we need to move past fear almost daily.
It is sad for me to say this but it is so true.
Thank you Ellen….
This is my reflection for today?
I often fear the worse myself sometimes, but staying positive has always helped me address each fear as they arrive, and then I come through them a better person. As always, thank you again for all your thoughtful insights!
Lonnie
Thank you for your kind and thoughtful words. So true !!!!
Dear Ellyn,
I love the image of donning our “bravery cape”. Whether we suffer from chronic anxiety or from an acute case brought on by an unexpected challenge, we can rise to the occasion by recognizing that we have untapped powers within ourselves. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have faith…faith in ourselves, faith in the professionals who take care of us, and faith in a higher being.
So well said by Merle … I never knew the strength I had in many situations but waking up after an emergency surgery and seeing a stoma in my lap … well, it’s either get strong or if I didn’t I would have died.
Having the support of my immediate family got me in the moment as well …. Along with faith and prayers as well … So, now I feel like I can tackle pretty much whatever is tossed my way.❤️
No one can say it better Ellyn. Some how we rise to the occasion and face
fears we never thought we could do.
Our survival instinct and bravery cape take over and we emerge stronger and more confident a person. What an inspirational piece! You never disappoint.
In his poem “Fear” Kahlil Gibran says “It is said that before entering the sea a river trembles with fear…But there is no other way, the river cannot go back.”
And so it is with each of us, we cannot go back, the only way is forward.
At the beginning of my ostomy journey I experienced fear, fear of the unknown as I entered the “ocean” of the ostomy. Eighteen years later I know, as Gibran said I “had to take the risk” I had no choice.
Now after knowing that fear, I spend time helping others understand the path that they are on after their diagnosis. Fear can be managed with knowledge and understanding of what’s coming. I say jump in and you will find the the ocean is
calm and welcoming. My ostomy saved my life.
You are a light to everyone in your world, because we all have mountains to climb and fears to overcome. Thank you!! Ellen