‘Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head and
keeps pecking away until he finishes the job he starts.’ (Coleman Cox)
Maybe it’s the perpetual grey, the drizzle or the cold that
even on the milder days seeps into your bones; the last few weeks have been
tough.
I’ve always worked well with deadlines, but it is much
harder when these are self-imposed. I have always enjoyed balancing a number of
(usually unrelated) activities in life and my new routine is no exception. With
such variety it can be hard to see whether progress is being made and whether
each task is worth the time and effort that it takes.
Aristotle extols the benefits of developing virtues in order
to truly flourish. One of these is courage. In Aristotle’s teaching this is
more than being brave; it also means to endure.
The difficulty is, not knowing the stage you’re at. School
gives very tangible markers for progress. Ticking off the lessons, counting
down the days to exams or till the beginning of the holidays, each one provides
boundaries as to where one is in the endurance test of education. Persevering
is not necessarily easy but you can see where you’re going and how long it’s
going to get to take there.
Life consists of markers too, but sometimes the timing is
off. For a number of friends the milestones of marriage or having a baby have
not come at the time they would wish. In such circumstances it is difficult to
know whether to give up or to endure, hoping that your time will come.
Persevering when the outcome is uncertain is tough. The
mantra to keep on keeping on sounds hollow and going back to what is safe looks
inviting. It is often the case that hindsight allows us to see that progress
was being made. It is when we look back we see the glimmers of hope or success.
I saw my first snowdrops this week and made a plan to see if
any had appeared in the garden. As it was sunny, I decided I would do some
gardening as well as look for snowdrops. Initially I didn’t see any, it was
only as I stepped back to look at the improvement my weeding had made that I
saw the tinniest strands of green bending under the weight of the white bells. It
is worth taking time to search for the snowdrops, to stand back and really
look.
‘Prepare’ and ‘Reflect’ are my new action words. I have
diversified my reading since leaving teaching and have a spiritual, fictional
and philosophical book on the go at all times. I often start the day with a
chapter from my spiritual book. I sometimes think ‘I don’t have time, I need to
get on.’ Yet, when I take the time, not only to read but to consider and write
down any thoughts, the rest of the day always seems more productive. I now view
this time as ‘preparation’ for the day.
A while ago my husband decided to write down any events that
made us happy or grateful on a piece of paper. These were kept in a box and at
the end of the year we went through the papers. There was joy in remembering
these times together but also surprise in how much we had forgotten. It is all
too easy to gloss over or forget the good moments, but I think these things
fuel our endurance, so that during the harder times, it is easier to see that
‘this too will pass’. I think I am going to reintroduce this, if not for the
two of us, then definitely for me.
How do you keep persevering?
How important is endurance when it comes to being courageous?
What helps you enjoy the journey when the destination seems out of reach?
Suzi, I find that motivational and inspirational quotes and poetry help; just to know that so many people have been there, in a struggle, however different from your own. The author of the poem below is not certain, but again, I came across it when I was at school years ago and it stuck with me (like Desiderata by Max Ehrmann) ever since then. Take care, chin up and carry on x
ReplyDeleteWhen things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he'd stuck it out.
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late, when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are -
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
Love the poem - thank you
DeleteLife can be challenging when you can't see the horizon ahead or even what is beyond the horizon. Community is important at these times, being with folk who listen and are kind. Also, to try and catch the positive thoughts/ ideas/ scriptures that run through your mind instead of dwelling on anything else. X
ReplyDeleteTalking & listening has definitely helped. Also the book I am reading is really encouraging me. Thank you.
DeleteSuzi, I do think that this is the best that was ever written. People have it read at their wedding, understandably. But I do not think that it the best use for it. It smashes everything out of the park.
ReplyDelete1 Corinthians 13
1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Yes! I was using this for the reflection part of a mindfulness/art group I've started. We also had it read out on Sunday!
Delete