Soft Courage

Photo by Ana Karla Parra on Unsplash


Soft Courage

This is what we mean

by courage, to be like

the hummingbird I saw

yesterday—not searching

for nectar, but instead

with its needle-beak

gathering dandelion fluff

to line its tiny nest

in the tree above, making

at least one soft place

to land and rest in this

harsh world.


It takes courage to be soft in harsh times, and any true strength we find within ourselves derives directly from our own heart. Yet the question remains: How do we stay connected enough to the heart-space and soul-space inside of us, so that we may create tender places for ourselves and others in this world? Tending our own nest seems the most sensible step to begin with—gathering what we and our loved ones need to safe and warm—and then reaching out to others to be sure they have what they need, too. Don’t we each want to widen our circle of compassion, rather than shrink it?

The reason this glimpse of a hummingbird struck me so deeply is that we have this image of those tiny birds as always seeking nectar, always whirring past in their hunt for more and more sweetness, hearts racing them on. Yet the one I encountered in our garden, close to the maple where hummingbirds often nest each year, was at rest, a tuft of dandelion fluff stuffed in its beak for the intricate nest it was no doubt building. I loved seeing this other side of a bird that seems always in a hurry, just as I relish glimpsing the other, tender side of certain people, when the possession of seeking and ambition can fall away, and care for another suddenly breaks through all masks and facades to reveal who they really are beneath. Some will say that courage can only be hard and tough, or that empty and self-compassion leave us weak. But we are now seeing evidence of leaders who have been given unbridled power, who never stop grabbing for more and more, and I don’t know about you—but they seem like the weakest, most insecure people in the room to me. Perhaps our culture, and each of us as individuals, needs a paradigm shift toward the type of courage that includes gratitude, caretaking, and kindness toward ourselves and others. Perhaps it begins in our own backyard, where we can find countless examples of a softness that briefly restores our hope.

Invitation for Writing & Reflection: What does the phrase, “soft courage,” mean to you? Borrow my first line, “This is what we mean by courage,” and see what images or memories filter through you.


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