What is the bravest thing you have ever done?

Not brave as such, but years ago before we all had computers, DD was backpacking in Australia.

I plucked up courage and went to the local further education college where you could go on a computer for a free session. I was an absolute novice, but I so wanted to send her an e Mail, I must have somehow received one from her, must have gone up there to read it on a communal device.

I struggled through, sent her a load of unpunctuated, non- paragraphed drivel as I couldn’t keep asking the poor staff to assist this idiot who didn’t even know how to switch the damn thing on!

She received it, and said “Oh Mum, that was so brave of you! I know how nervous you must have been!”

Sounds daft now I know, but I was so thrilled to have this communication with her.

Good morning Sago!
I don't know if it was brave as such, but academically and motivationally (?) this is the thing I'm most proud of.

I taught myself the entire GCSE Biology curriculum in three months.
It was because I needed a GCSE in a Science subject to get on a PGCE course. I did it from scratch in just 12 weeks.
I was worried sick about it!
I thought of little else for the entire time.

I have done absolutely nothing in a physical sense that can be thought of as even a little bit brave.
I am a total cowardly custard.

I hate flying but we had a phone call from our ex dil telling us that our eldest son was in intensive care so we flew to Osaka without any idea of whether he would still be alive when we got there.

I am not at all brave but I think that was one of the scariest things I have ever had to do.

My husband thinks I’m quite brave because I’m not afraid to question things or confront people.
I think he’s super brave, because he hops on and off aeroplanes without a second thought, drives on motorways without dissolving in tears at every roundabout, and bravest of all, he can deal with spiders!

I was 8 or 9 and the first child of colour - a Sikh girl - joined our class at school. There was some disturbance in the class and the teacher immediately called her out to the front. I stood up and told the teacher that she wasn’t involved and she was only picking on her because she was different. Looking back I’m amazed that there were absolutely no repercussions. No letter home and I wasn’t sent to the head mistress. So I must have been right about the teacher.

I made a decision about my marriage and knew I needed a secure job to leave so I applied to become an transport ambulance driver for which I needed to pass a driving test in an ambulance with an instructor I’ve no idea how I got through that my legs shook the whole hour but I passed and got the job which meant my future was secure and after 20+ yrs gained my pension, that job changed my life.

Re-married.

One of the scariest things I did, bearing in mind I don’t like heights, was to go up in the glass cable car in Madeira. The bravest was to go up higher in a second one and then come all the way back down. Had it stopped I would have been a gibbering wreck.

tanith ?

Getting out of an abusive marriage and learning to say no. I still hate confrontation and get quite anxious at times but I tell myself that I can do and I won’t be pushed around, I have a choice and a voice.

Escape and start afresh.

Not especially brave, parasailing while on holiday - towed with a parachute behind a speedboat - you shoot up to about 180 feet.
I knew I’d hate it and I did, only did it because of dds saying
‘Mum, you’re such a wimp!’

One of the great benefits of getting older is no longer giving a stuff about being thought a wimp, and just saying no thanks to anything you know you won’t enjoy. Especially if it’s going to cost £££.

Avalon I went on the glass cable car in Madeira too,I sat facing the ground we where leaving which terrified me.
Coming down I sat in same position, and was so relieved as the bottom and solid ground approached.
Bravest thing , leaving a 26 year marriage .

Ringing my in-laws in Australia to tell them their son had died.

Walked up and across Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was harder than I thought it would be and I wouldn’t do it again, but I was so proud of myself.

Stood up to the angry parent with the knife, who came to get his children after he had put their mother in hospital.

Watched my back for months.

I had gone alone to visit eldest son in New Zealand , he was working , I took myself to the tourist office and booked tours , but the scariest thing was my journey home , said son was still working so couldn’t drive me to the airport so he put me on a single engined plane to Auckland to get my connection ! The pilot stepped into the plane , looked at the half dozen people and rearranged us to “ balance “ the plane , how I didn’t get off I’ve no idea !

I am afraid of heights, but I’ve climbed mountains and abseiled. At work I’ve been in situations where I’ve had to face violent men and women, but in the spur of the moment I’ve simply reacted, so haven’t felt particularly brave. However, I went to University at nearly forty years of age and with a part-time job and five children (including a baby and a toddler) - now that felt like a really brave thing to tackle.

At my son-in-law’s funeral I read the same poem that I’d read just a couple of years before at their wedding. It was a full military funeral with honours and was being recorded so I felt I really needed to do it (and him) justice, but walking behind the coffin into the packed church I just had a moment where I thought, ‘I can’t do this’. It seems ridiculous now when I think of the bravery of my daughter who was burying the hero father of her six month old son (he was killed in action), but it took every ounce of courage I had to step up to the lectern.

grannyactivist.

I haven't done anything brave. I have been scared a lot though.

Emigrate . We had no clue what we were going to, what it was like, what the people were like etc. We knew it was a one way ticket because we didn’t have the money to return and we knew no one at all. It turned out to be perfect for us but not without initial struggles.

I took up an invitation to go to Bangladesh on my own to speak at a conference and do some training at a local charity and to have several TV interviews. I was also expected to try to influence government officials of the need for this charity. It was a complete leap in the dark for me. However, I was absolutely fine. The people who had invited me were wonderful and I was very well looked after. We're still in touch and the charity is still going strong. I have very happy memories of my time there.

I came on to make a flippant and witty comment but thankfully read first.
I will just say I have great respect for the bravery many of you have shown.
Grandma70s and grannyactivist, so very sad.

Echoing what Laura just said.
What an unexpectedly moving thread

Too many to list but facing up to losing all my hair, having lost all my teeth aged 11.