What makes a king out of a slave? Courage!
What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage!
What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk?
What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage!
What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage!
What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage!
What makes the Hottentot so hot?
What puts the "ape" in apricot?
What have they got that I ain't got?
Courage!
You can say that again.The Wizard of Oz. Such a timeless classic. I have never met a bigger fan of this movie than the 3 year old girl that I nanny for. She is the Lion's biggest fan, and come to think of it, she's got tons of courage.
Obviously, you can see that the trait that I've picked is courage. While the poor Cowardly Lion would be a great example to relate to, I'd like to be a little more like Maria Von Trapp. I think of her often, and although many of my friends call it, "The Sound of Mucus" because they hate it so much, I hold that story strongly in my heart.
If I could be a little bit more like Maria, I'd be very proud of myself. My favorite image of Maria is exactly the one I posted before - her arms swung back, guitar case in hand the minute after she declares that she has confidence in confidence alone. She's right, you know. My life would be amazingly different if I found a better way to put forth some confidence every now and again.
I certainly don't consider myself to be wimpy by any means - I'm a nanny and a preschool teacher for heaven's sake, I've seen more than most could ever handle. I'm struggling through some extreme family problems due to the fact that cancer is waging war on the strongest person that I know and I'm constantly viewing the physical evidence of it. I live on my own since I was 22, (mind you, I'm not much older now) and I work three jobs to take care of myself and whoever else I can.
The courage I'm in search of must have something to do with myself, and not these other scary things. I think that I need to be more courageous when it comes to taking care of my physical appearance and body. It's so easy to wimp out and just eat fast food, or skip the makeup and hair because no one cares what I look like where I am going. A more courageous Bridgette might take the time to take better care of herself, and let people see that she can be wonderful.
I'm constantly in search of the courage to say the right things to people who are important to me and to do right by them. It's so much scarier and harder than I ever thought it would be, and truthfully I've become a bit antisocial when it comes to the matter of friendships and relationships in general. I want to make it a point to remember the things that I had the courage to say when I am looking back on my life. At times, I also need to find the courage to stand up for myself situationally and in general life.
I've been challeged my whole life with trying to find the courage to express myself the way that I want to - I didn't let myself paint for years because I knew I wasn't as good as whoever I decided to compare myself too. I didn't feel important enough to do things like sing and belt it all the way from my toenails. Thank god I figured that shit out or I'd be miserable by now. I need to find the courage to write a book. To write a song and sing it myself - to attempt to play an instrument or play in a soccer/kickball/broomball/volleyball game with my friends and not worry about how bad I am at it and if I'm ruining their fun by being so god awful. I need to find the courage to do so many thing I want to do and looking at it, it makes me sad to think that I have these inhibitions when I consider myself to be such a free spirit.
I love this quote, and I think it's something I will always try to remember while remembering to be courageous:
"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says... I'll try again tomorrow." -Mary Anne Radmacher-Hershey
