Couraging at Christmas

As we all know, this week was the first official week of celebrating Christmas with growing zest. Yes, I wore Christmas skirts and accessories every day. Yes, people in my classes and people at work continued to ask me how many skirts I have and if I made them (where I reveal the secret that sewing skirts is like sewing pillowcases except you don’t sew the top shut—my limited sewing skills prevent me from making anything fancier) and do I really wear skirts all December long?

Why yes. Yes, I do.

As part of Christmas joy this week (which is another way of saying “as part of my life right now”), I went ice-skating for the first time since my freshman year at college and though glorious, it was slightly also stressful relearning how to exist in a vertical position on ice without falling down. I probably cut off all circulation in Ben’s hand from holding it so hard for the first twenty minutes, but I started to get the hang of it after that (I least that’s what I told myself—I probably still looked like an uncoordinated giraffe trying to stand on two legs and not awkwardly swing its arms for balance but ultimately failing).

The best part about ice-skating though aside from looking like aforementioned giraffe?
Seeing this couple learning how to ice skate together (hopefully they won’t somehow find my blog and sue me for putting a picture of them without approval on a public domain):



What did I think when I saw them holding hands inching forward against the wall?

VULNERABILITY IN ITS PUREST FORM.

a.k.a. bravery.

It almost brings me to tears when I see people willingly trying something they have no idea how to do. It was even cuter because it was so obvious both of them were out of their comfort zones and I wondered who had to persuade whom to come but I am so glad they came. Together.
Maybe because it made me want to try more things that I’ve never done before and probably suck at it but somehow find the beauty in that fragility.

At least I think there’s beauty there. There needs to be more of that in the world. In my world. Of leaving the comfort zone.

To end, I leave a quote from Mary Daly:
“You learn courage by couraging.”

So courage on, my friends.
Especially at Christmastime.

Because there is a lot to share with your courage, faith, love, and bravery at this time that will inspire and uplift those around you.

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