Extraordinary Ordinary People

I have been tagged to take part in the “Quote Me! 3.2.1” tag by the delightful Sana H, the creator of A Pause for Nature as you can see from her post below:

Have the courage

 

Rules:

Thank the selector – THANK YOU SANA

Post 2 quotes for the dedicated Topic of the Day

Select 3 bloggers to take part in 3.2.1 Quote Me!

Topic of the Day : Courage

“Courage”, I believe most would associate with overcoming fear. Now I am not really a fan of those who think it is courageous to risk their lives by pulling off clearly very dangerous stunts. Life is such an incredibly precious gift. It shouldn’t bring glory to take dangerous risks with something so extraordinarily precious.

Rather, I am full of admiration for those who show courage to do what they know is right even when they may feel fear – fear of the reaction from others, fear of hatred, fear of those who might oppose and ruin them.

During my career as a volunteer, I have had the privilege of meeting and even working with some pretty amazing people. Some have been detained in prison or Nazi concentration camps because they made a courageous stand over something they knew was right. People who were imprisoned, not due to their ethnicity, but because they could not go along with what they knew was wrong. I have read the stories of others who were executed for their courageous stand for right.

I am really in awe of those who are not swept up in the heat of propaganda, not easily swayed by popular opinion. Those who have their eyes fixed on what is right and true and will not compromise their integrity. Quiet, peaceful, ordinary people made into superheros by remarkable courage.

Yes they may have been afraid. They may have been scorned or punished by others. But they knew there are some things more important than fear. I am so impressed by those who have immense conviction and quietly and respectfully hold their ground on matters which put their beliefs to the test.

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I must admit I am not feeling particularly courageous or strong at the moment. However, as I was looking for quotes on the subject of courage, I realized that courage is not necessarily anything to do with the way you feel. In fact some of the most remarkable acts of courage may occur when we feel at our very weakest.

I know that there have been times in my life when I have had to do things I never imagined I could do. I never thought I would have the strength. I am not referring to physical strength, but to emotional and mental strength.

I avoided working in healthcare for many years. We have doctors and nurses aplenty in our family. But as a little girl I became faint at the sight of blood if I or one of my friends fell over and broke our skin. I never imagined I would end up working in palliative care with patients who were terminally ill and training a huge team of care assistants. I still remember vividly the first time I was with a patient who was clearly taking her last laboured breaths, and then her breathing ceased, how overwhelming it was for me. I had held her hand throughout and I had been singing gently and whispering words to impart courage to her.

After the Doctor had been out and signed the death certificate, I was then asked to wash the lady who had died and put on a clean dress and make sure her hair was neat and her dentures were in place. It was so hard for me at the time. For some reason when I did enter healthcare, I never contemplated I would be asked to do something like that. But it was not the last time I would have to undertake a task.

Something I realized from my very first day working in a healthcare setting, is that the dignity of my patients was of vital importance to me. Everything I said, everything I did was marked by my love and deep concern that this person have their dignity. I realized I very naturally cared deeply for my patients and had a massive amount of empathy for them. I often thought of how I would feel if I were in their situation and how I would want a professional who was assisting me to make sure I was not afraid or embarrassed or anxious.

When you care about something or someone, you somehow find the courage to do things you never thought you would have the strength to do. Even when you feel at your weakest, even on days when you are provoked to tears due to what you are seeing, the courage comes. You may feel feeble and ordinary – but love can move you to extraordinary courage.

This past weekend when I was feeling overwhelmed and weak, I had to find the courage to do something I never imagined doing, never imagined having the strength to do. And I felt the same empathy and I knew I needed to make sure everything I did was with dignity and love. Somehow I found courage when I didn’t think it was there. I know I will look back and remember with relief that courage came when I needed it most.

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There are days when I am so grateful for Julie Andrews and “The Sound of Music” – I think there are some good examples of the kind of courage I have referred to in this post and the ultimate song about mustering courage when you feel weak!

I am going to tag three courageous bloggers for the “3.2.1 Quote Me!” tag on the theme of confidence:

 Kerry – This Takes Courage

 Ana Silva – It Takes Courage… And lots of Chocolate

 Be Courageous!