If Courage Were A Person

If courage were a person, it would be my mother. Courage is the way she puts others before herself, the way she fiercely loves her family and strives not only to make sure we are all content, but to make sure we all feel fulfilled. Courage is her piling all three kids in the backseat, bruised knees brushing against one another, the way she tends to each of us without forgetting the others. It’s her smiles when she wants to cry and her tears when we make her proud.

If courage were a person, it would be the nurse who reassured me constantly when I was afraid. Courage is her steady hands doing work that needs to be done and her soft heart showing compassion that is often taken for granted. Courage is the way cuts lunch a few minutes short to check on her patients one more time. Courage is her morning commute, yawns and all, as she prepares to make a difference in the lives of others. Courage is her evening commute as she revels in the joy of her recovering patients and plummets into the sorrow of her dwindling patients, trying to process the constant emotions her work brings.

If courage were a person, it would be the lanky boy that sits in the third row of my English class. Courage is the quiet strength he possesses and the words he saves for special moments. Courage is the fearless way he defends the reluctant boy in the first row of my English class who is being bullied. Courage is the way he fixes a snack for his sister and helps her with her homework when his dad works the late shift.

If courage were a person, it would be every one of us. It is the human resilience in us all that moves us to keep going even when we are suffering. Courage is tired legs, open minds, callous hands, warm hearts, pouring tears, and effortless smiles. Courage is coming together no matter what separates us, working tirelessly, loving endlessly, and giving freely to make this world a better place.

Even if we have days in which we feel fragile and reckless, courage lives in us all.