Resolute Courage EP-12 ‘Seasons’

• [un-edited] 

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Good morning. Yes, it's early and this is episode 12 of Resolute courage.

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And this is Melanie chief. Flagg Melanie Jean Burke. Sorry. It's our Olli My apologies. I'm excited to share this the last episode of this season and talk a little little bit about

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fear and courage and very emotional. So I'm on my iPhone. So it's bouncing around if you're trying to catch this on

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my blog. So anyway, as you know, I've been going through this process of deafness since April. And it's been a wild ride say the least. One thing that I know about courage is that you need it most when you're in fear. I've learned that there's no way around fair, you can't go around it, you can't go above it, you

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can't go under it. You can't wait for it. You can't dance for it. It's just it's an obstacle prevents you from living and being happy. So what I have discovered is the best. Best way to address fear is to walk right through it. grace and dignity. And I can tell you firsthand that grace and dignity are like a moving target. I have good days, bad days and strong days and days said, This deafness journey has been a whopper. I mean, I cry nearly every day. And I have to muster up some courage, just walk through each and every moment sometimes. So but walking through fear with grace, with Grace said dignity is about life philosophy that I adopted early in life. And I didn't realize I actually had this belief in this faith. As long as I can remember, I've walked through a lot of things in my life. And this is the latest adventure, that my soul is taken beyond in the universe and God has opened for me to become a better person and to learn to gain new perspectives to things and I don't know, like there's so much I don't know. So I bet the last well, let's see, I have to count on my fingers here. April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, it's not eight months that I've been deaf. That's a really long time. Sorry, that journey I've gotten up every single day. Because of a philosophy that I have, that I've made, I chose resolve the declaration, if you will, a manifesto for my own life that I was not going to run away from my problems that I was going to walk through the some days are a lot easier than others itself. So popsicle sores. So I had to walk through are way harder than others, but that's the less they require some level of courage.

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The great thing about walking through fear is the resolute courage that I have comes from a philosophy of faith. Faith There's myself that I can do this, God that here's a bigger plan this to me, I don't understand it, but I know that it's changing. I know that I'm a better person or and I know that that's been easy as I got quite strict and I never do i i fade this straw because I chose a philosophy of faith. Courage gets me their courage to walk through my fear. Because you can't be in two places at once you can't cannot be in fear at the same time. Courage is the momentum that gets you from one to the other. So I, I resolved that when I found out that I was going to sign up for American Sign Language. I passed my first class at our local community college. To go back to school software, canvas I never used before. It took courage to be in Virtual Learning Environment took courage to be the only deaf person in my class. I was extremely vulnerable. And you know, I prayed a lot someone to take me through this journey. So fight my way, because that's the great thing when you walk through faith, with courage, and a philosophy of I'm going to do this, I'm not gonna run away my life situations you know, these guides that show up in your life, and I had my ASL teacher, it was like a guide to me, she opened up a world that helped me get into the Deaf communities slowly, you know, it's not a convenience that's easily understood or discovered. Its its it has its own culture and its own history. And now like know that. Yeah. So, some showed up for me and my friends have really stepped up. Got there for me, my family, my sister, my brother. And my daughters. Oh, my gosh, you know, I just, they have been so amazing. So tired last. The entire last eight months, I got to the stages of loss, because losing your hearing is one of your major senses. It's a really lonely, lonely place to be. I know, I went through this in the middle of COVID, the vaccines and all the unknown. It's just been it's been challenging to say the least. So my goal and starting this podcast was that by talking about my resolute courage, that maybe just maybe I'll reach somebody else who's struggling to find a way to walk through their fear or adopt a philosophy of faith that they can stand by for life, you know, and

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anyway, so as this chapter comes soon as this episode comes to an end, I want to talk about it share with you and ask a question. You know, this reminds me a lot I've run a lot of marathons. And you know, when you run a marathon, there's like that they call it, it's 26.2 miles. So I'll route 20 miles you hit this, they call it the wall, where you just absolutely lose all your energy and your motivation, and it's painful. If you're fighting your mind to quit. You just have to find a way to keep going on and some amazing people always show up for me those last six miles in one day, that is a true story. They will of course, it's true. I well, I don't I only tell what's true, at least what's true for me. And I got to I mean, I talked to people along the way, I back then I can hear them so I can conversations while I was walking, or running or walking. And I got to literally 20 like 25 and a half miles I have like, let allow maybe a half a mile ago. And I just honestly, I could not make it. I felt like I was gonna have to crawl across the finish line. And this 87 year old man comes fast walking up to me and goes yo, like you need a partner, you get across the finish line. And I looked at him, he said, Just talk to me. Tell me about your life. Tell me anything you want. Just talk to me. Let's talk and walk. So that last half a mile I walked with this 87 year old man. When I got across the finish line, he celebrated with me, you know it's that's what the last a bit like for me. They've been well celebrations of people walking part of the journey with me through my fear. And it's it's something that sphere, it doesn't stop and and stop and start or end. But we do come to like junctures where we we, sorry, there's a car right behind me. We get to this place. And that's what that's what the this last podcast this season is representing the journey that I've walked to get here at the faith that I walked through. And the courage that I've had and the people that have helped me get to this point. I bought my way like daughter, my beautiful daughter is driving me I'm on my way to get my first hug goodbye right here this morning. That begins the next the next chase of walking through there. There's a lot of fear the unknown about folklore and plan, what's going to happen, what it's gonna sound like, how's that work? Go? It's brand new experience like most things in life. So, you know, this is this is not the beginning. It's not the end. It's kind of like a season. We've walked through fear it's seasons. And it's a beautiful thing is that just like nature, seasons change, and we get to learn new things and we get to be more than we were last season we get to grow, we get our soul gets to, to guide us in brand new ways. And the universe gets to send guides through us new guides, old guides, you know, it's just an amazing thing. So the next season two is going to be more about courage and

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you know, resolute courage. So that's, that's, that's my philosophy. And I will walk through this too, with grace and dignity as that it does not look to say, two days in a row for me, nor does it look to save for anyone It's our own. Our, it's like when you do the best you can your best is always good enough. And if you knew different, you would have did different. But that's what's so interesting about this is that, you know, this is a new, this is a new season for me, this cochlear implant is a new season for me. So, season two will be the depths of courage and faith, they fade, the, like pages, this touchstone to spiritual growth. Well, Faith is an amazing philosophy to live by. And I choose, I chose that I choose faith, you know, so over fear. So anyway, she isn't you will begin with the next the next phase of the next season of my journey. And I want to thank everyone out there. If you've gotten this far, you know, that my podcasts are unedited, they're rough cut, that can't hear myself. So I never know what I say. It comes straight from my soul, not from my head. It comes. Some of them come from by heart. A lot of it comes from my soul. But I like to take a little time to be with my daughter, before I get there. And I want to thank everyone for for you guys walk through this with me. In one way or another, I just bought gas. So I get help. I had our job. I had a really hard time. And if there's anybody out there who hears this that is struggling with any kind of fear. If you need a little boost, you can do it. You can do it. And I'll be back next season and we'll it'll be it'll be what it is. It'll be what it'll be. Sign out now. And I said this with love and with appreciation. And I wish you the happiest of holidays. If you're listening to a replay, it is a few weeks before Christmas. So for me and I will I will. I'm sorry. I'm really grateful that you allow me into your space. So I wish you the happiest of holidays and I'll see you next season. Bye

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

courage, walk, season, fear, journey, faith, life, happiest, resolute, days, guides, miles, deaf, talk, philosophy, dignity, daughter, amazing, podcast, finish line