when you see the word courage, what do you think? The cowardly lion from The Wizard of Oz? The soldiers of the past and in uniform? Or is it stepping out of your comfort zone? We all have courage or bouts of it during our lifetime and with this post, I’ll describe a few times where courage comes out like a lion and greatness results from that.

I never would’ve considered myself a courageous person unless I have the cajones for it. My best friend Emily have considered me a very courageous person because I’ve been able to approach guys no problem. I think guys that I don’t have a crush on are easier to talk to than those whom I have the hots for. I wish I know the science behind why we get nervous talking to a particular person more than the other, especially with ones we have a crush on in high school. The bravest thing I have done in high school was saying I love you, like really say I love you and meaning it.

It was August 6, 2016, I was talking to a guy long distance for quite some time. He actually said I love you earlier in the week and I didn’t say love you back because I didn’t want to jump in quickly. So I spent a good portion of the week figuring out if I actually love the guy or I’m just being crazy because he said it. So I came to the conclusion that I actually am in love with him. So we were having a conversation and I just slipped in saying “I love you.” I had to say it again because it didn’t hear it at first, and the second time I was choked up. And that was the beginning of an 18 month relationship. But saying I love you for the first time could never compare to reconnecting with the one who got away.

So, I’ve been with a guy for a month, split because it was right person wrong time and that breakup devastated me to where I was severely depressed and went in a downward spiral. It was never his fault, I was getting bad anyways. For 6 months, I regretted him walking out of my life. I realized that I let the best version of myself go three months after the split. By the 4-5 month mark, I was still grieving and all it took was a conversation I had with a good friend of mine. He said, “to mourn for a relationship for 3 months is normal, but 4 to 6 months of mourning and never getting over him means there’s something special.” And that prompted me to want to reach out to him. It was so nerve-racking that I had to change 2 to 3 different shirts, not sleep, pace around the room until he finally reached out the day after I reached out. There was not much chit chat until I apologized for how everything went down. When I apologized, things got better, all it took was one text to reach back out to him. And that’s the story of how I reconnected with Brennan back in 2021. it was the scariest thing I’ve ever done and also the best thing I’v ever done.

Alot of other courageous acts were about standing up for myself and standing my ground. My favorite was when the pandemic happened. The majority of my friends and classmates packed up and went home with mom and pop and I decided to stay. Just like alot of other people around the world, my mom was in the state of paranoia and wanted me to come home; that was the first time I’ve ever put my foot down and said to my own mother, “no, I’m not moving back, I’m staying here, I’m 21, not 12 nor 15, and that’s final.” And I’m glad I did that because who knew what type of person I would’ve become if I was sheltered away from the Summer of the Riots aka BLM riots blocks away from where I was living (downtown PDX) as well as if I gave into mom’s demands. And what surprised me enough was the fact that my mom didn’t fight back and was like “alright.”

When it comes to courage, it can be scary. But once you’ve done it and got it over with, a wave of happiness, pride and a sense of confidence overtakes you in a way that makes you feel good. Yes, we are in a scary place and even though I can come off as courageous, I can get scared too. But what I learned is if you’re scared all the time, what’s the point of living? When I got in a car accident, I didn’t go “I don’t want to drive ever again.” I looked forward to driving again, even if I hate driving after the accident. it’s ok to take that leap of faith for a better future.

Fear is something that can really hold us all back from different things in life. It’s important to notice what your fears are and try to conquer them.

Bethany Hamilton