Throw your heart to the wind.

(and caution to if you will)

Courage, they say, is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. It’s the ability to do something that frightens you. It’s the strength to face the ordeal, to show resilience when dealing with pain or grief — whether mental, emotional, or physical.

Yet I can’t help but notice that courage is so often tied to the shadow side of life. It’s painted as ‘being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.’ Or ‘gaining strength, courage, and confidence by every experience where you really stop to look fear in the face.’ Or even, ‘life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.’ And while all of this is true, it still feels, well, incomplete.

Because courage is not simply one of the virtues — it is the form of every virtue at the testing point. They say the greatest test of courage is to bear defeat without losing heart.

And that is the phrase that whispers to me this morning: 'Do not lose heart.'

Because courage, at its core, is all about heart. Whether you’re doing something you’ve never done before, trying again after failure, or facing an illness — courage is the heartbeat of every brave step. It’s what you have stored in your heart — like tools in a shed that you can draw strength from — ready for the moment you need it most.

We were never taught to 'Follow your heart and intuition.' In fact, we were never even taught about intuition at all. That’s a treasure I had to uncover myself, slowly, as I wandered through life.

We were told to have dreams — oh yes, and I had plenty. But we weren’t always shown the way to make them real. I’ve learned that if you want something badly enough, if you believe in it fiercely, you will find your way to it.

I have met all my dreams along a journey of 66 summers. But that doesn’t mean I can’t dream again. And right now I am working on that.

It is always a good idea to follow your heart and take your brain with you too. Sometimes, though, it’s only your heart that knows the way. And most of the time, that’s enough.

John O’Donohue said it so beautifully:

"Your soul knows the geography of your destiny. Your soul alone has the map of your future, therefore you can trust this indirect, oblique side of yourself. If you do, it will take you where you need to go, but more importantly, it will teach you a kindness of rhythm in your journey."

So I trust my spirit — my soul, my heart, my intuition, my instinct. Even when it makes no sense. Even when it scares me. Even when the path is unfamiliar.

Because I know — even if I can’t see it — the Universe has its invisible safety net in place. It will catch me if I fall.

Courage is following your heart. Wisdom is taking your brain along. But happiness? Happiness is listening to that quiet voice within. Not the voice of fear, but the one that whispers truth.

So throw caution to the wind. Don’t think — do. Let go of fear. Take that chance. Trust your instincts and emotions, even in uncertainty. Trust in something bigger than yourself.

Because in the end, your feet will always take you where your heart is.

(Irish Proverb)