“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.”

         ― Benjamin Mee, We Bought a Zoo

We’ve all been there, right? You know those times when things just feel…impossible? Nothing is working out, or so it seems, and it feels like you’re walking through slush in slow motion? I’ve been there. Have you?

It feels like you’re living through your own version of hell, but it’s not; it’s just life. Life can catch you in ruts that are big and wide and deep, pulling you in way over your head. You know the ones I mean, right? You’re so stuck, it feels like you’re going backwards. Backwards through that thick, heavy slush. 

Lockdown 2.0 this winter feels a bit like that to me. It’s more than just uninspired, it’s well and truly stuck.

I know I’m not alone in this feeling, because other people I’ve spoken to all voice similar things. At the moment, with the restrictions so rigid here in Melbourne, it feels like we’re all just trying to get by. And we are. 

Courage: what is it anyway? I think courage can be defined a thousand different ways. This period of lockdown has reminded me that courage is so much more than what it sounds. We are all braver and stronger than we give ourselves credit for. I think it’s time that changed.

Here’s a few ways I’m trying to redefine courage during this lockdown:

Courage is getting up each morning, getting dressed and making breakfast.

Courage is facing another day, knowing it will be full of challenges, just like yesterday was, and just like tomorrow is shaping out to be.

Courage is having hard conversations.

Courage is taking breaks, and allowing yourself time to rest.

Courage is being kind to yourself, even if it means having the same dinner three nights in a row. 

Courage is being ok with how imperfect you are. 

Courage is treating yourself with care, and not neglecting your own needs in the process of looking after others. 

Courage is trusting there’s a light out there somewhere; you just have to hang in there. 

Courage is being able to admit you’re struggling.

Courage is letting other people in.

Courage is being brave enough to take down your guard. 

Courage is admitting your faults. 

Courage is doing things you’re damn scared of, and coming out the other end, not just alive, but empowered.

Courage is being proud of how you consistently rise to the occasion, even when your energy levels are on zero. 

Courage is knowing you’re not alone in your experiences, even if it feels that way.

Courage is recognising your own strength, and giving yourself credit for how insanely brave you are.

Courage is knowing — just knowing, that you’ll be ok, you’ll come out the other end stronger. 

Courage is just getting by, and realising that “just” getting by, is actually worthy of a gold medal each and every day. 

Courage is being the best version of yourself, even if you feel you’re a thousand steps behind where you want to be. 

Courage is honesty.

Courage is being real.

Courage is fighting your battles with grace.

Courage is fighting your battles, even if it’s a messy, complicated and emotional process. 

Courage is not giving up, or giving in. It’s the fight to keep on going, despite all odds, or perhaps because of them. 

That’s my courage list. What’s yours?