1000 Times The Courage

Aidan had had to be immensely courageous. To set foot on campus that day was just one step of many. He knew that. But it seemed like the biggest one. Soon he would be sitting in a lecture hall among 400 students approximately 30 years his junior. He had tried to mentally prepare himself for this day ever since he got the acceptance letter, but his heart was beating fast in this very moment. He turned the car engine off and sat for a while. He smiled in the rear view mirror to motivate himself, but anxiety still tickled down his neck and back. He closed his eyes. He remembered all the encouraging and kind words friends and family had said to him when he said he had thought about going back to university. His daughter had told him that he had had to have 1000 times the courage of any of the other students there and he remembered the pride in her eyes when she thought of him daring to be the 'old guy' to pursue his dreams. He opened his eyes, took a deep breath and let the courage flow into his heart as he opened the door and set foot on campus for the first time as a student.