No one can deny the bravery of a firefighter who runs into a burning building to rescue the people inside. Or a person who boldly stands up for something they believe in when it goes against popular opinion. Or a daredevil who engages in some dangerous activity just to prove they can do it. These are certainly amazing feats and worthy of our praise. Unfortunately, we often fail to recognize the small acts of everyday bravery that make up the bulk of our lives. And we certainly forget that there is no comparing brave. There aren't levels of bravery. Every act of bravery is just as important, just as real, just as brave as every other, even if it might seem small or nonsensical to people not engaged in the act. Sometimes bravery looks like putting on your running shoes and running an infinitesimally small distance before returning to a walk. Sometimes it looks like starting a new job or moving to a new location or entering a new relationship. Sometimes it looks like apologizing or stretching a budget or making a phone call. Sometimes it looks like having a tough conversation, asking for the help you need, seeing a different perspective, putting on a happy face, or offering forgiveness. Sometimes it looks like showing up and doing the things that need to be done, without thanks or acknowledgement of any kind. Sometimes it just looks like getting out of bed, taking a shower, putting on "real" clothes. Every person is influenced by and operating according to their own level of comfort, trauma, insecurity, and mental health. We are all brave because we are all finding the strength to face our own fears, dangers, and difficulties. Sadly, we have a tendency to think that if something comes easily to us, it is ridiculous for another to struggle with it. We judge, ridicule, and ignore the brave acts of others because they seem silly or unimportant to us. I wonder what would happen if, instead, we looked at every single person we interacted with, in whatever circumstance they're in, and thought, "Wow! How brave they are to be where they are and doing what they're doing!" What if we looked at ourselves and said, "You are very brave, and I'm proud of you!"
Listen, friends: Life is hard. We are all overcoming. We are all brave. And, I'm proud of us!
