Courage…this can take on so many facets and meanings. To stand up to a bully, to make a stand for your beliefs when challenged, to defend ones family or friends. We are given chances to demonstrate courage constantly in our day to day lives.
Being inside during these trying times it might seem there are fewer instances to demonstrate our courage…I initially thought as much, but after some deep thought have recognized that I was caught in my own narrow focus on courage and the tenets of our faith.
I found myself starting to stress about whether my job would be ok? Would my retirement savings be ok? How am I going to move forward and navigate my “normal” life in these uncertain and trying times? I found I was so caught up trying to figure these issues out, of which I had no control due to outside circumstances, that I was leaving certain things in my immediate vicinity and present unattended and ignored. I had my family around me, and plenty of time to spend with them now and create memories that would otherwise not be possible in normal circumstances…yet I was losing sleep and my present from worrying about a potential future.
Then it occurred to me: My destiny was written the day I was born and it is my sacred duty to live my life to the fullest possible and to succeed to “my personal” fullest potential…essentially this: I can’t control certain outside things, but I can control how I handle my reactions to them and the actions I take. The proverbial if life gives you lemons thing. And as I was sitting here thinking I was so proud of myself coming to this awareness it hit me…it was in front of me all along:
“The unwise man is awake all night, and ponders everything over, when morning comes he is weary in mind, and all is a burden as ever.”
Havamal
Odin had given us this wisdom long ago and it was right there. I guess the point to me was that I had to have the courage in my destiny to let some things go that which I have no control over and not lose my present at the cost of worrying about the future…it is only in the present that we can really make change anyway right?
May Odin’s wisdom guide you,
Thor