Amy Lu's View

Winter has never been my cup of tea (although I have consumed many, many cups of tea this winter).

Not only do I not like being cold, but most outdoor winter activities seem to require a level of grace and coordination that I’m not confident in trying to demonstrate. Ice is not my friend, or even my benign companion. Yes, I know many runners successfully run in the winter on icy sidewalks and trails, but that’s just not a risk I feel comfortable taking.

I’m also not really into activities that involve speed in any way. Not surprisingly, because of the combination of cold and “danger” (at least perceived), I’ve only been sledding once or twice in my life. So I completely get Toad’s resistance to going sledding in the story “Down The Hill”–he would much rather be safe and cozy in bed.

Toad is eventually coaxed into going sledding by his friend Frog because Frog promises to be on the sled with him. And with his courage buoyed by the presence of his friend, Toad ends of up having a great time sledding–until a bird points out to Toad that he is actually sledding all by himself (because Frog fell of the sled a ways back).

Thanks, bird.

Once Toad realizes he is on the sled all alone, he freaks out and crashes. But before that, he DID have an awesome time sledding, and maybe he even will try it again someday?

Like Toad, I have often found courage because I have backup–from friends, family, bandmates, co-workers, castmates and friends from theater, fellow MSUS church members, fellow TBTL podcast fans, my Facebook running group, and Chad.

Knowing that I’m not alone has inspired me to try everything from ziplining (okay, one “adventurous” thing I’ve done) to singing a solo to taking a promotion.

Knowing that I’m not alone can also be a little stressful–while I love having the support of others, I also don’t want to let them down. This is especially true when it comes to performance, when everyone in a show or a band is supporting, and relying, on everyone else.

If I had the skills and patience, I could try and create a Venn diagram to show how all my various communities of support overlap. Or maybe a web of connection holidng me in its center would be a better visual.

Our theme at church for February is “Beloved Community.” When I started this post, I didn’t think it would be about community–I thought it would be mostly about courage (and a chance to complain about winter). But as I’ve been writing I’m discovering how much “community” IS about “courage.”

Not only does community give us courage, it also takes courage to be in community. This can happen in profound and important ways, as in MLK’s idea of “Beloved Community” that calls us create a just society. But “beloved community” with a small “b” is important, too. Sometimes we need those mundane times when we’re nudged to get out of our comfort zone (to go sledding, either literally or metaphorically) or just do something we’d rather not because it’s important to someone who is important to us.

So go ahead, try something new or scary or uncomfortable–someone’s got your back. Just watch out for naysaying birds.