A little bird told her

8:03 am

She boards the bus and takes her seat in the back row

She closes her eyes and draws 3 long deep breaths, quiets her thoughts

The first prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change

Courage to change the things I can . . .

Wait

She's said this prayer thousands of times, but this is new

Courage

Courage to change

What is courage?

Courage

What does it mean, really?

Inhale, exhale

Stay with it, listen, just listen,  l i s t e n

Quiet now . . . 

Words coalesce into thought

Like hearing a bird's song for the first time

Courage

Its asks that you be humble and willing

 It does not mean that you summon bravado and muscle

That is something else

Some say courage is fear that has said its prayers

That is closer

Courage asks that you step forward

aware, in this moment, imperfect

Courage is not the absence of fear

But rather the presence of trust in what cannot always be known

You may feel alone, but you are not

You may feel you have not succeeded, but you have not failed

You may feel foolish, but courage comes paired with wisdom

Walk through your day with this word

in the palm of your hand,

on the tip of your tongue

Look at it, taste it when you need it

And you will need it

Quiet again . . . 

She completes the prayer

And the wisdom to know the difference

Her eyes open and the bus has almost reached her stop

How is it possible the trip went so quickly?

She leaves the bus, but the word travels all day with her

Courage

And she needs it in many little ways

Image by ravi gogte