Standing on the Parted Shore
the fear swells,
like a wave in her chest,
as she stands at the edge of the water.
she knows that the passage
to the other side is not as long
or as deep as it looks from the surface.
she only needs to take
one
deep
breath
and start.
a moment.
it takes one moment
of courage,
of faith,
and then there is no turning back.
she will be moving.
and the current will carry her.
and the water will cradle her.
and there will be no effort.
and when she emerges
on the other side,
the fear will be gone,
and in its place will be a world
more beautiful than she can imagine.
it takes one step.
a twitch of the foot
and she will be on her way.
When my son was younger and he asked what his name meant, I said “brave.”
“What does brave mean, mama?” was his typical reply.
“Brave means being strong when you are scared.”
It takes courage to step beyond your comfort zone, to do things differently than the people around you, to step away from the status quo even if it means moving in the direction of your dreams. Sometimes a narrow bridge feels more stable than the coastline, with it’s shifting boundaries and sand you can sink your feet into. And yet, for me, the possibility of whatever is lingering just over the horizon is enough of a beacon to keep taking those small, wobbly steps toward new adventures.