What are the bravest things you have done? Celebrate your courage!

[Gráinne]

Hi, all:

A thread on courage on another board I belong to made me think we could do the same thing here.

Of course, we're all brave as hell, just for coming out however and how much we have. Many of us don't exactly live in friendly climes, but we stand up and be ourselves anyway. We attend Reunion or a bash, when it feels like everyone's going to be staring at you but you learn that you're not alone by a long shot. We transition. Joining here can be a huge act of courage, and for many, we're the only community there is. You speak up and approach someone, or ask them to dance. We're all courageous, wherever we are on our journeys.

What I mean are things that you've done that were adventures, "what the hell" moments, chances you took (whether or not they worked out)-it's in the chancing, not the outcome. What have you done?

And no "It's a small thing", or "I'm dull, haven't done anything", or "I'm not brave". Knock that off.

For me, going to China with twelve strangers to teach English for a summer. I didn't speak a word of Chinese, nor was I a trained teacher. I had to give lessons to 200 students (all young adults, not kids), and taught them the Electric Slide and the Pata Pata, in addition to teaching my class of 16 young women.

I was a life model for art classes when I was in college. It paid well, I got to sleep,and the students saw something in my body that I surely didn't see. That was enlightening.