My younger brother says I’m determined. Other people have said I’m resilient. Perhaps. I err on the side of self-awareness and say I’m stubborn. Whatever the case may be, it has proven a trait, if kept in check, that helps me keep going no matter how bad the start or the day.
Perhaps, though, the quality has more to do with understanding that my emotions, thoughts, and actions are independent of circumstances. If I can order the first two aright, my actions follow suit. My diabetes owned the day? Fine. I don’t sink into the abyss of anger or self-pity. I rise to the challenge because I refuse to let it control me, and I know other people are facing worse things. My diabetes is a small thing in the grand scheme of things. I can and will rise above it.
Then again, maybe I just don’t like to be pushed into a corner. I push back and push back because I’m a fighter. I don’t give up when it’s hard. I just train more and work more so that I can win the next battle. The thing I’m facing is bigger than me? No matter. Other people have faced giants and overcome them. I can, too.
What matters is not the start or the falls. The start may be bad, and it may be bad through no fault of my own. Do I let that fact control how I experience life? No. The same is true of the falls. I fall many times, but the falls don’t matter. What matters is that I get up no matter how many times I fall. I don’t give up. I try and try again because I’m reaching toward something, and I know it will be glorious as I long as I continue aiming toward it.
Image: Meg Wills (Creative Commons)