Courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enable a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery. When I hear the word courage, I immediately think brave. But then I also start thinking of the word encouragement. To provide courage to others. Or courageous - to be characterized by courage or brave. Courage comes in all shapes and sizes.
Courage is required to keep pushing through. Did I endure everything in the hospitals and during recovery without fear? No! Not at all! But I still pushed through and that took a tremendous amount courage. In fact, I think pushing through when you are scared is truest epitome of courage.
I think courage sounds intimating, like a warrior in battle - exhibiting courage. I think it is important to understand and realize courage comes in all shapes in sizes. Courage is speaking up when you would normally remain quiet. It could be sharing a story that no-one knows to help a friend understand something. It could be getting out of bed and taking a shower.
There was a time during my recovery, if I was able to shower and change clothes on my own, it was the equivalent of running a marathon. It took courage every single day to get out of bed.
I think if you do one thing each day that scares you - you have courage. 100% this writing takes courage, however I keep pushing through, I keep taking those steps and I keep writing. Practice some courage and you may be surprised where it leads.