Courage

The stories that have meant the most to me growing up were usually tales of ordinary folks facing extraordinary circumstances. They faced their fears when what was frightful was fantastically frightful.

Now I face ordinary circumstances with extraordinary fears. Ordinary life is strenuous and anxiety-producing and difficult in ways that feel like fighting giants and dragons and climbing mountains but look like going to the store or making a phone call.

Still, the heroism in those stories helps me believe that maybe just maybe I can face the everyday monstrosities with the courage of an adventurer.

Real adult life is turning out very differently than I thought it would when I was a kid, but that doesn’t mean I am any less equipped by the morality, ingenuity, and bravery of those fictional heroes to face my real challenges and trials.