All about being brave....

Why did the chicken cross the road?



The answer should be simple right?

To come, to see, to conquer!

No. To get to the other side.

Countless times in my life, I have always looked back and thought to myself...."If only I had done "this" differently, or "that" differently....if only I had been more brave." Don't we all wish that we had been braver at one point or another? Don't we all just want to get to the other side of the road?

Personally, I find that I am always asking for courage and strength, whether it be from God or from my family and friends. I never ask of it aloud, because...come now...who really walks up to their friend and says, "Give me strength!" I mean, I would, but that's beside the point. To save myself from curious and bizarre glances, I ask for strength silently.

Bravery is within us. We are capable of bravery. However, according to Mrs. Darling from Peter Pan, "there are many different kinds of bravery. There's the bravery of thinking of others before one's self. Now, your father has never brandished a sword nor fired a pistol, thank heavens. But he has made many sacrifices for his family, and put away many dreams. He put them in a drawer. And sometimes, late at night, we take them out and admire them. But it gets harder and harder to close the drawer... He does. And that is why he is brave."

I myself am being tested for bravery. Only this drawer is one that I have my fingers caught in and someone is threatening to lock it because they have the key when I didn't mean to give it to them.

Life is difficult, it was never meant to be easy. If we come out of life too clean, someone is bound to come along and throw us into the mud to dirty us up a bit. Sounds pessimistic, but it is true. Sometimes what we say or do catches up with us, and suddenly everything is turned upside down.

A lot has happened this year, too much has happened this year, but somehow I find the strength to get up each and every day. I am a hero. I am a survivor. And although it may seem like bridges are burning behind me, I can always rebuild them.

If you have ever been through a series of challenges that tested your strength and bravery, raise your hand and pat yourself on the back. Give yourself credit for how much courage you wielded during that time, and how it made you the person you are today.

I don't care who you are or what you have done. If the situation tested you, and challenged you, and made you question and re-think your values, then you deserve to have someone stand by you and believe in you and support you 110%. Just do your best, and be yourself. Strive to be a better person, because that is what life is all about. The experiences and the people who make us a better person.

Just breathe.

Smile.

Take those steps, so that you too can cross the road to get to the other side.

You are loved.

~Piper