Brave

I am up for a challenge.  Merril suggested I write about “brave.”  That was easy me being the brave, fearless, man of valour I am - NOT.
But it did get me thinking that brave has been misconstrued.  We rightly determine that a person in war rescuing people is brave.  Or taking an enemy site in the midst of seemingly overwhelming odds against it happening, is a brave act.
But to me any act of selflessness that improves the lot of another and costs or could cost the protagonist, is a brave act.  This to me widens the concept of bravery.
It is the person who gets up and cares for the child when sleep would be preferred.  It can be doing something for someone else when I would rather be doing something else.  It can be the person who fixes something around the house to improve something for all concerned.
These are everyday acts of selflessness and what elevates something to bravery to me is doing something that costs and is the first time.  It is seeing a need and doing it despite never having done it before and the potential for things going wrong.
I often put in a personal experience but this time I am not inclined to.  I can think of things that I’ve done that qualify, but the point is I know I am not alone.  Just because I have never been in the news or in magazines does not mean I or anyone is not brave.
Acts of bravery occur everyday and are done by everyday people.  They are not trumpeted, and they may never see the light of day.  But they are not diminished as a result.  They are just as real and significant, and for the person or people affected, are just as life changing.
We like to watch “Hard Quiz.”  There was a lady on there who has spent many years in Sierra Leone.    She was looking after people.  That to me is an act of bravery.  It is selfless to go to such a place when what is here is so good and comfortable.  The bravery comes into it for me because it is a dangerous place.  Not least because it had a real struggle with Ebola.  It was a country established for freed slaves.  The city name of Freetown hints at that.
I only know about her because of Hard Quiz.  To me, there are millions doing acts of bravery every day.  The unsung heroes and heroines.  Doing selfless and potentially dangerous acts.