Friday
Jan112013
being a little afraid and doing it anyway
i am brave . a whispered soul mantra locket in the shop
Over here, Ellie and I have been having a few conversations about what it means to be brave. One way we've been talking about it is how being brave can mean being afraid, but doing something anyway.
A few items on her current brave list (in my words):
- Being a little scared to sleep in her new big girl bed but doing it anyway (going on nine days now).
- Walking into her room when the light is off and moving her stool so she can reach it to turn it on.
- Letting me wash her hair even though she is scared of water getting in her eyes.
- Saying she's sorry to her friends at school when she hurts their feelings.
A few things on my current brave list:
- Asking for help.
- Knowing I have too much "on my plate," and taking steps to put a few things on pause and let go of others.
- Sharing and writing even more of the true stories.
- Letting go of even more of the stuff (the physical and emotional) that rests inside our home so we can have even more space.
(In some ways these lists seem pretty similar.)
And you, how are you being brave in your corner?
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You might also want to read: courage = trust + fear and true essence
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Reader Comments (8)
nice to hear those moments of bravery. For me: getting deeply in touch with those yearnings that whisper - and have been whispering for a while - about what I need to do next with my art. To permanently juggle and meet the needs of living with a son who has aspergers as he navigates his way through school and education - and get brave about what I believe in re. education for children! Soul searching on the next level ......
Amelia.x
Because of you Dear Liz, I found my word "story" and found Laurie Wagner's class "Telling True Stories" and have posted something for BOTH homework assignments! Hugely scary the first time--Breathe, breathe, breathe. Not so much the second time--and even deeper than that is actually writing the stories I posted!! I have blocked the deep scary stories for years. It started cracking open when I took your Inner Excavations Class last summer and the crack has been slowly widening and now the words are starting to pour instead of trickle out. I'm feeling a glimmer of joy around writing for the first time ever....I am so grateful.
Hmm..let's see...
-Trusting the doctors to figure out whether my husband has secondary cancer or not. He had his kidney out 8 weeks ago. They discovered that there are 15 tiny spots on his lungs. If kidney cancer is going to spread, it's usually to the lungs. The nodules are too tiny to biopsy by needle and they don't want to cut him open to get a chunk of lung to test, so we're doing careful monitoring by CT over however long it takes to see if it grows. Terrifying.
-Sharing my own recent diagnosis, from MS to NMO and all that means. It's going to be published on the MS website next week. Sometimes putting yourself out there is difficult, even if you know sharing your story will help someone else. Vulnerability is hard.
Two things, but it's alot.
Such a gorgeous locket, Liz, and meaningful conversations with your daughter, too. Sometimes just facing every day constitutes an act of bravery; I feel that way when I follow the news, at least!
oh. oh. oh. i love this locket!
and my word for the year is brave so this post rang true for me...
each day i am trying to do at least one little brave thing...even little things...liking joining someone for lunch instead of reading...
or wearing that darker shade of red lipstick that i used to love until i thought i was too old to wear it anymore.
xo
My little girl slept in her "big girl" bed for the first time last night and we told her how brave she was for doing it. So sweet!! :-)
~ Wendy
i have been away for sooo very long
from you wonderful blog...but i am back
now and...BRAVE...how am i doing this
well...setting boundaries for those who
take too much...too often...from me...
yup...this has to be me being brave
this year...love your jewlry and that
darling little baby...hugs and kisses
to you both...xoxo
It's unbelievable how similar we are, Liz. My daughter and I are going through all four of those things you listed... bedtime, afraid of being separated but trying to be independent, hurting feelings and apologizing, bath time... so funny! And I, too, am trying to simplify just as you are. I'm so glad you put words to these actions and you say they are "brave." I feel much less alone.