Oysters. They’re slippery little suckers, gray-ish, slimy and kinda gross looking. But when you plop them on a saltine cracker with some cocktail sauce that’s been doctored up with horseradish, they are surprisingly quite delicious! I remembered the first time I tried one, I was skeptical and a little grossed out, but did it any way, because I wanted to at least try.

Had I not tried it, I wouldn’t being enjoying my weekly Saturday visits to Oyster Bar to feast upon dozens of oysters with friends. And this Saturday was no different, although, we had a larger crowd with us because we were celebrating birthdays. Several in the group had never tried a raw oyster. First up to try was my friend’s eight year old daughter. She doctored it up and ate it like a champ, grimaced face and all. When asked if she wanted another, she didn’t say yes, but she also didn’t say no.

Our second “victim” was slightly older and wasn’t having it, even with all the encouragement coming from around the table. It wasn’t until the eight year old in all her innocence said to her, “You can be brave too.” And brave she was. She tried the oyster. She was not a fan, but she tried it.

Bravery comes in all shapes and sizes — from trying an oyster for the first time to facing an illness for the bazillionth time. Even if you are afraid to try, you can be brave too.