Bravery Before Breakfast

What comes to mind when you think of the word 'bravery'? I suppose everyone will have their own definition of what it means to be brave, but we certainly have many stereotypical or traditional examples thrown at us in society. Generally speaking, bravery is viewed in society as grand-sweeping gestures or acts of courage. These are certainly acts of bravery, and I don't have any intention of trying to convince you otherwise. I don't want to lessen anyone's view of what bravery means to them.

But what if being brave didn't look so big and majestic? What if being brave looked commonplace and perhaps so small it could be overlooked? What if being brave could look like... getting out of bed in the morning? For me, I think that is often the bravest choice of all. It can also be one of the most difficult.

In society, we are programmed to believe that to do something well, we have to do something bigger and better than everyone else. We can't simply be a doctor - we must be the best doctor who gets the most prestigious fellowship over all our other colleagues. We can't only get into a D1 school for soccer - we must be the star forward. We can't just be a caring and supportive parent - we must organize the best damn PTA meetings in town.

We can't just be brave - we need to be the bravest.

I call B.S. You don't have to be the best at something to succeed; you don't have to - nor should you - compare yourself to the rest of society and rank yourself among the masses in terms of doing "well" or being successful. If you can get out of bed in the morning, you are so brave in my eyes, and I applaud you for your courage. What may seem like a small choice is actually the biggest and most important act to take.

Life is exhausting and painful and beautiful and rare and messy, all at once. We are currently living in a pandemic, and any sense of normalcy jumped out the window around March 15, 2020. There's even less certainty now, with fewer moments of relief and more pressure to push forward. Please remember that life is traumatizing on a regular basis, and we are all just doing the best we can.

So, tomorrow morning, before you get out of bed to eat a bowl of cereal or some toast (if you don't eat breakfast, do it, it's good for you), remind yourself that you are brave simply by existing and being you. You don't have to change the world today. But you can change the way you view your bravery. You can begin to appreciate yourself a bit more for the bravery you cultivate after every sunrise.

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Cover photo credit: https://www.inspiredtaste.net/45941/vegan-pancakes/