When was the last time you felt brave or had to muster up the courage to do something that made you tremble? When you are a kid, it seems there are many times when this happens, although the instances seem simple. Maybe it's being brave to share a toy, order your own food at a restaurant for the first time, be gracious when you lose, or step over the edge when rappelling. As a young adult, you perhaps have to muster your courage even more as you set off into the world on your own and navigate school, work, social life, and just being an adult. Once you have children, courage may be seen in pushing through the day with patience on little sleep, finding a way to stay sane when you haven't talked to an adult all day long, or even watching your children grow up and start to be independent. But even with the instances of daily courage, there are some that stand out and push us far past our comfort zone.
Most of us have no desire to go against the grain, say or do things that would be polarizing, or speak up in front of others. Most of us just want to live our lives, quietly raising our children and minding our own business. But there are certain things that bring out mama bear like nothing else. Protecting our children from danger is one of these. When I used to think of protecting my children from danger, I would think of the past and fighting off wolves or bears. Few of us face that in the modern world. I would also think of snatching my child out of the street, or teaching them to say no to drugs. These are real dangers that our children face. But there are also dangers within systems that we trust. These can be the most dangerous simply because of our trust in them. It takes an enormous amount of courage to stand up for our children in the face of large organizations and people in positions of power, especially when the majority of the people around you don't have the same understanding of the danger. My inner mama bear woke up a few years ago, and now she will never go into hibernation again.
I tell more about this in my chapter of Courage, Dear Heart. This is an anthology full of inspiring stories of women and how they mustered the courage to move forward in the face of hardship. Get your copy here!
