photo: stevendepolo
Brave?
That word used to send me scurrying under the bed with my good buddies the dust bunnies.
They were good company: quiet, companionable, and most importantly, asked nothing of me.
We’d just rest there until Miss Fearsome Opportunity stopped her insistent knocking on the door and moved along to scare share with someone else.
But then I changed.
I began that breath-catching, heart pounding process of walking to the cupboard doors and cracking them open to take a peek inside.
And you know what?
I wasn’t Mother Hubbard with those empty cupboards.
As a matter of fact, there was an abundance like I had never seen.
Fancy that. 
Guess I was so busy looking here and here that I didn’t see the diamonds in my own backyard.
Gifts. Skills. Talents.
Friendship. Hospitality.
Love. Joy. Humor. Encouragement.
I’m not talking about having to be David to Goliath or Daniel to the Lions.
I’m talking about you being you, unique and one-of-a-kind you.
Come on. Let’s take each other by the hand, and cheer one other on as we bravely begin taking steps forward.
To paraphrase Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the places we’ll go!”
Follow the link above to read and be encouraged by what others have to share. We’d love to hear from you as well, so feel free to leave a comment today. Thanks for coming by!
Postscript: How I love the Five Minute Fridays, and how I also find them to be a regular source of consternation. Often I struggle with the message that appears at my fingertips and how to balance that against the minutes that tick away too quickly. More often than not, the message wins out, and I go a little-sometimes a lot-longer than my 300 seconds. For that, again, I ask forgiveness.
Sharing at No Ordinary Blog Hop
Image credit-Frodrig
Twitter: treatmetoafeast
says:
I love the way you write your evolution to bravery. Sometimes I’m there , but I can’t say I’m a permanent resident as yet…though I do lurk there more regularly.
Peace and good to you, brave warrior woman.
Brave warrior woman. Now that is a name I have never been called!
Let us both marshall our armies of dust bunnies, and proceed ahead!
Okay Kim, take my hand and keep pulling. Fear more often than not keeps me on the couch. Thanks for the encouragement.
Well then, Laura, heave ho and let’s go! There is power in numbers!
Twitter: SUSZYCUE
says:
This was a fun one. I enjoyed the read and oved the encouragement. Doing the five minute Friday sounds like a good one to do. I liked the idea of different individual writing about one subject.
Always glad when someone takes some encouragement away from here. Oh, yes, please do join us at The Gypsy Mama for 5 Minute Friday! It is lots of fun to see what happens with a simple prompt and a few minutes, and there are so many blogs to read that can be so encouraging and enlightening and entertaining!
I struggle to cram such big thoughts into such a little space of time as well! I appreciate how you remind us that we change in degrees and when we come out of hiding things, including us, aren’t as they seemed. Think of how much we would miss if we weren’t brave!
I do think about how much I’ve missed by being shy and hiding out, Beck, and then I remind myself not to do that, as it is thoroughly counter productive. What’s really funny is that although coming out from under the bed can be heart-poundingly scary, it is so much more exhilarating, fun and fulfilling than hiding out. I just can’t recommend it enough!
I like your take on bravery.
Regards,
Ruby
Thank you, Ruby, and appreciate you stopping by!
Great job becoming brave!
Thanks, Sam. It’s all just steps forward. I think I’m doing ok, and then I meet someone who has faced far, far, more than I. Sometimes I actually find myself just slightly embarrassed at thinking about my “bravery”. But I must remind myself that we are all at different places, and have been given different roads to travel with a variety of challenges to be faced by us, for where we are to help grow us into who we are supposed to be.
So good to know I’m in such good company! Loved this post! LOVED this post! So many times, I stand at the edge of Something and stare into the great, scary unknown. I like the old and familiar about me. But, like you, I have discovered that adventures and love and acceptance and encouragement await, if I can just make that leap. Thank you for encouraging me to leap!
You are welcome, Diane! So glad you found encouragement, that proverbial loving push out of the nest! We just have to remember we have wings!