Courage.

"Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us." - Pema Chondron

I met a Girl named Courage

She is not large

But spritely

Hair every which way

Held up by her spirit.

She is not loud

But appears

"I am Courage,

I am 5 years old."

She is not alone

But trails a sibling

Gripping her leg,

Peering from behind her.

She is not proud

But pink.

Heart fluttering. 

Smile bustling.

She is not aware

But sure - 

That we are here.

That this is a good day to be alive.

She is not a picture

But the realest real

Like the itch of a sweater 

Like all the possibilities the world can hold.

Paper Tigers and Strawberries.

“There is a story of a woman running away from tigers. She runs and runs and the tigers are getting closer and closer. When she comes to the edge of a cliff, she sees some vines there, so she climbs down and holds on to the vines. Looking down, she sees that there are tigers below her as well. She then notices that a mouse is gnawing away at the vine to which she is clinging. She also sees a beautiful little bunch of strawberries close to her, growing out of a clump of grass. She looks up and she looks down. She looks at the mouse. Then she just takes a strawberry, puts it in her mouth, and enjoys it thoroughly. Tigers above, tigers below. This is actually the predicament that we are always in, in terms of our birth and death. Each moment is just what it is. It might be the only moment of our life; it might be the only strawberry we’ll ever eat. We could get depressed about it, or we could finally appreciate it and delight in the preciousness of every single moment of our life.” 

― Pema Chödrön, The Wisdom of No Escape

Tigers in Korean Folk Art