Courage Looks Like This

Courage isn’t always fire.
Sometimes it’s a flicker
held in trembling hands
that says, “I’m still here.”

It’s the deep breath
before the hard conversation.
The shaky voice
that still speaks the truth.

It’s pressing “send” on a dream
that scares you.
It’s walking into rooms
where your name was never expected
and still sitting tall.

Courage is not the absence of fear.
It’s the refusal
to let fear make the final decision.

It’s soft back straight,
heart wide open,
boundaries intact.

It’s not loud.
It’s lasting.
It doesn’t always win the battle
but it shows up anyway.

And if today,
all you did was take one step
toward the life you truly want?

Then yes
you were courageous.