Tea with Linda - COURAGE

Tea with Linda - COURAGE

Linda Kavelin Popov, Co-Founder of TVP, June 2023

It took great courage for my twelve-year-old granddaughter Tasi to face the first day at a new school where she didn’t know a soul, after moving to a new school district, leaving her crew of bffs (best friends forever) behind.  

I companioned her on Facetime beforehand, “What’s it like for you thinking about going to your new school?” “I feel shy,” she said, looking quite scared. We talked about it for a while – what to expect. She said, “They ‘ll probably ask one of the other girls to show me around.” 

Referring to a practice we had when she was little, I said, “Well, if you take your Moana courage with you, and smile your beautiful smile, I bet you’ll start making friends right away.” She beamed. 

Then we got to the important stuff – what she was planning to wear. Later that day she reported on that first day of school. Again, there was that bright smile. Within days she was fully enjoying her new school and “hanging out with the head girl.” 

Remember when you had to face something new and unknown as a child or a teen? The worst thing would have been someone saying to you. “Don’t be scared.” Yet sometimes we do that to ourselves when facing a challenge. It’s so important to validate emotions whether in another or in ourselves when preparing to do battle with fear. Being fully in touch with our feelings is the first step in detaching from them. Only then can we tap into a wellspring of courage. 

Recently, I needed courage to face someone who made wild accusations questioning my integrity. I first had to release my anger at the injustice of being falsely accused and totally misunderstood. I ranted a bit with a trusted person and then got down to the work of companioning myself and praying for a couple of days. I realized that my anger was triggered by being unjustly blamed for things I didn’t do as a child. Every emotion has a virtue connected to it. When we claim our feelings, we then receive the gift of that virtue. Once I saw the source of my righteous indignation, the anger dissipated, and I was filled with justice and compassion. 

What also gave me the courage for a face -to-face confrontation was the realization that I only had to do my part – not God’s part and not the other person’s part. I wasn’t in control of the outcome. 

I went not knowing whether the relationship would continue, and I was fine either way. It also occurred to me that I can hardly stand for my belief in world peace if I can’t be a peacemaker in a personal conflict! We spent several hours hashing things out. We both got loud speaking our truth, and we both listened. The meeting ended with a kiss and a new agreement. It was an exhilarating and very humbling teachable moment choosing to be led by my soul rather than driven by my ego. Courage and faith carried the day.