Courage

During the last few days I have been thinking a lot about courage and all the ways we are seeing it these days.  There are so many courageous people doing extraordinary things right now to keep us safe, keep us fed, keep us healthy, keep us comfortable in our homes around the world.  From the first responders, doctors and police officers to the lady at the grocery store who checked me out four weeks ago, my mailman who continues to ring my doorbell, and even our garbage collectors who come every week, all of them have risen to the challenge of showing courage to go to work when no one else was and take care of the rest of us.  They are truly courageous. My heart and thanks extend to all of them. 

But courageous does not belong solely to those men and women.  They are truly amazing, but there are other demonstrations of bravery happening everyday around us.  You see courage defined is the ability to do something that frightens one; mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.  Through that lense, I think about all of the ways that I see courage in the people around me.  My kids learning how to greet their grandparents without hugging, my team creating videos of themselves to demonstrate new product despite how uncomfortable they may be, our partners figuring out new ways to conduct business, indeed our employees helping us make furniture again with new procedures and mandatory masks. 

I watch my five year old son, the most gregarious kid you would ever meet, never met a stranger, as he embraces the rule of social distancing.  The battle that must be going on inside his little head to control himself and hold back.  Everyday he has missed his teachers and friends as he has stayed home.  In many ways he doesn't even fully understand the why.  He too, indeed all children, are demonstrating serious courage.  

Each of us is mustering the strength to persevere, whether that's a Zoom call or video chat, a google classroom, or back into a work environment. We are pushing through the immense changes in our lives, and change for most of us is scary.  It takes courage to face the unknown.  It takes courage to overcome the fear of not knowing.  It takes courage to learn something new.  

I am grateful for all of the courage I see around me.  Everyday both the big and small acts of courage are everywhere.  I challenge you to look for them too, and let their presence give you hope.