“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” 

― Maya Angelou

As I stood there painting my favorite little scrappy palm tree, I was thinking about courage in the face of storms.  Literarily, as in the storm that was moving toward me offshore, causing my painting time to possibly be cut shorter than I had anticipated.  But also figuratively, because we all feel like that little scrappy palm tree sometimes.

We either have courage or we are seeking it. Or maybe we are acting courageous while inside we are feeling we will never find it. Sometimes our courage seems limited… we are courageous enough for some things but not for others.

For me, courage is putting myself out there. Vulnerability is my act of courage.  

Choosing courage over running away, doesn’t mean that I am not afraid. Courage is being present even when I am fearful. Especially when I am fearful, or worried… and I come from a long line of worriers. It means quieting those voices in my head and trusting that I will arrive safely on the other side of whatever it is I am facing.

Courage means being at peace with being uncomfortable. It means taking risks. It means standing up for who you are and what you believe. It means believing in yourself.  Just like that weather worn little palm tree, standing all alone facing whatever man or nature might throw at you. Absorbing it, deflecting it or just letting it move past.

How do you define courage?