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“Dad, I’m still a little afraid”.
“I know sweetie. It’s okay. All you need is a little courage”.
At this point, I was thinking in ‘conventional wisdom’ ~ I was going to tell her all about how ‘courage is feeling the fear and doing it anyway’ and all these wonderful quotes that we read about courage.
But, I was curious. I wanted to find out what she knew about ‘courage’. So, I asked her: “do you know what is courage”.
Without hesitation, the gentle, halting voice from the rear seat of my car said: “Of course I know Dad. Courage is team-work”.
I was stunned. She had wiped my ‘wisdom-slate’ clean in an instant. She didn’t even use the word ‘fear’. To her, courage was about forgetting about your own fears and helping others on your ‘team’ overcome theirs. Yes, indeed, as I reflect on this ~ that indeed takes courage.
So, I am humbled yet again. I know I didn’t teach her that. I am sure it was one of her pre-school teachers or perhaps, someone on her team of friends at school. Either way, I am grateful, because it taught me about courage in a totally different light.
P.S. I hesitated to share this wisdom of a five-year old on her way to her first day in Kindergarten with you. But I am doing it because I want to know ~ what is YOUR definition of ‘courage’? Do share with us in the comments. Thank you. ~ Kumud