Brave * Love * Peace * Justice
By Abby, Age 7
Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is
Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave
With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave
Sara Bareilles, “Brave”
Today’s post is about honoring bravery ~ in ourselves and in others.
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My daughter created the image on the top of this page. I found it sitting on my desk a few weeks ago. She loves to draw {hearts are her favorite}. But she always wants a blank page ~ she rarely colors in her coloring books anymore. As someone who has never considered herself creative or artistic, I am impressed with, and grateful for, her bravery on a blank canvas. She doesn’t agonize over whether someone will like the picture, or ask herself if she’s doing it right, or feel embarrassed about what she creates. She just does it. I am grateful for her lack of self-consciousness and her desire to express herself.
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This weekend, we did something I once would have considered brave. My husband and I took our two children, and my daughter’s friend, to a movie. And they all sat at watched the film. For a whole hour and a half. We all laughed and had popcorn and treats. I am thankful that as my kids get a bit older {my youngest is now 4}, family outings are getting easier. And I am thankful for kids’ movies that have just enough adult humor to make it fun for the grownups, too. {We saw Despicable Me 2.} And I’m thankful for cheap discount theaters, because movie theater popcorn is expensive!
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I am thankful for the bravery and hard work of the students in our leadership group who have been staying after school in my classroom to design posters and promote our anti-bullying awareness week. I am grateful for the students who stand up to disrespectful behavior.
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I am thankful for my hair stylist for convincing me to change my hair color for the first time ever {besides just adding blonde highlights.} And even though it may not look that dramatic, it certainly is daring for me!
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Can you handle some more Brene Brown? I saw this video on the Huffington Post today. In it, Brown speaks to Oprah about how one of the ways we try to protect ourselves from vulnerability is “foreboding joy.” When something wonderful happens, we might immediately start thinking about all the ways it could be ruined, and we don’t allow ourselves to experience the joy because we know it may not last. But joy, Brown argues, is the most vulnerable emotion we experience. Her research shows that the most joyful people are the ones who, when something wonderful happens, practice gratitude. They experience the bliss.
So when this happened this morning during Sunday morning cartoons…
… I simply enjoyed the quiet, and blissfully watched my children snuggle, share kisses and hugs, and tell each other “I love you.” I practiced gratitude. And tried my hardest to not think ahead to the arguments, the “I’m bored”s, the “I wish you weren’t my brother”s, and the “He hit me”s I knew would come later.
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Finally, this week I saw this on a box of Cheerios:
While I am certainly thankful for a campaign to send cheer and appreciation to teachers, I would argue that Owen probably did a lot of work for his “A,” too. Teachers matter, but students are the ones who do the work. And maybe Owen was brave enough to come in and get some help. One thing I have been doing differently this year, based, again, on my reading of Daring Greatly by Brene Brown, is thanking my students when they come in for help. It is extremely vulnerable for students to admit they are struggling and need help. So let’s give Owen some credit, too.
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What are YOU thankful for this week? What acts of bravery have you witnessed?
Finally, you can click on the image below to read more posts about gratitude today!
- A Mindful Approach to New Year’s Resolutions - January 13, 2020
- Just This Next Step - December 16, 2019
- WAIT: A Mindfulness Practice for Waiting in Line - December 9, 2019
