The Beginning of Courage

Sadness seeps slowly from the depths of your heart.

At first, you say nothing—just bottling it up and enduring it all—as if, if you were only a little stronger, the emotions would disappear on their own.

But they don’t; they remain, quiet yet heavy.

Until one day, you are exhausted, and you don’t want to pretend you can handle everything anymore. You begin to admit: “I am actually very sad.”

The moment you say it, the invisible storm in your heart slowly subsides.

Then, you learn to let go of those forced “shoulds.” You no longer force yourself to understand everything or forgive everything. You give your heart some breathing room, not rushing to get better, and not rushing to laugh.

Peace quietly returns to you.

You begin to find the will to move forward, looking toward the good things that haven't happened yet. A smile—that is the beginning of courage.

Thank you for reading!