The Root of Courage

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“Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow.” – Dan Rather

My mom was joking with me the other day that I’m paying for preschool for my toddler twice. “First you pay a monthly fee for him to attend three days a week,” she laughed “and then you pay again by having to hold him for three days straight after that.” And as it goes with humor, there is a lot of truth in that. As my toddler goes through this third week of being at daycare, I’m exhausted from making breakfast, lunch and dinner with only one arm but hopeful that he is getting a little more comfortable with this new routine. And as soon as we get into this rhythm, it’s going to change again when my 5-year-old gets to go to in-person Kindergarten for the first time.

This pandemic has been hard for me as I try to be everything to everyone – breadwinner, childcare, friend, teacher, janitor, all without much personal space to recharge. But this re-entry is definitely hardest on my kids. Even though there have been times when they were bored at home, all this time has mostly just been basking in their happy space without having to grow their boundaries. It has been all the sweetness of togetherness and not the growth that comes with otherness.

I come from a long line of encouragers but as we face these situations I think most often of my dad. At my dad’s funeral service, he was eulogized so perfectly as a “battery on feet, just looking for someone to jump start.” When working a project or a problem with my dad, I always felt that everything was possible. The word encourage has it’s origins from French – in courage. And to break that down further, courage as in rooted in the heart. So we encourage others by instilling courage, helping them to live from the boldness of their heart. I love this breakdown of the words because it reminds me that courage isn’t going forward without feeling but just the opposite, it is completely rooted in feeling. And to encourage, we help others lean in to all those feelings and do it anyway.

So I’m happy to hold my son for three days after his days at preschool. I give him some of my heart so that he can go forward living fully from his.

5 thoughts on “The Root of Courage”

    1. Wow, Rebecca, thank you for a great compliment. I know you know a lot about the heart of courage, especially in these past 4 years after your husband passed. Sending my encouragement… ❤

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      1. Thank you. To be honest, I believe that three years of that was doing simply because I had no choice. It is only in the last year when time seems to have slowed down and be less cluttered that I have consciously acted and realized many things. Thank you, for your encouragement, it is greatly appreciated and coveted.

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  2. Great post, and message what stood out to me the most was this sentence “It has been all the sweetness of togetherness and not the growth that comes with otherness.” such a true statement during this time.

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    1. Thank you for the comment! Yes, isn’t that so true? It’ll be so interesting to see how we all grow again once we do re-entry. Are we stronger from this time because our roots are deeper? I hope so. And I know that I am smarter for all the connections I’ve made in others ways – like meeting other bloggers like you!

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