To Persevere

Perseverance: -

Steady and continued action or belief, usually over a long period and especially despite difficulties or setbacks...

I'll let you in on a secret. Sometimes I can be unhappy- scrap that - sometimes I can be downright miserable, I'm talking the snotty nosed, screaming into a pillow, listening to Joni Mitchell kind of unhappy. But you know what. That's ok. It's OK to not be OK. We are only human after all -the wire grin aches if you wear it too often falsely.

...and lets face it life would be a lot more tedious if it was wonderful all of the time. You'd be bored silly. That and ungrateful too because it is the hardships, the times when you really feel corroded that truly you are alive. Use the bad in comparison to how good the good actually is!

There is a strange comfort in knowing that you are not the only victim in life. We all have 'one of those days.' You know what I mean, you lock yourself out the house, miss an essay/work deadline, realise you've forgotten your lunch on top of having issues with friend/spouse/sibling.

Yeah you know those kinds of days. For me, I have what I call the 'one night rule.' Where I embrace my woe and wallow in it for an evening of self pity. Think pjs before nine, cups of tea, something calorific and either a good book or a rom com to numb the senses. Here in this hippo like state, I indulge in my one woman pity party, I sob like its nobodies business, I write copious amounts of bad poetry or depending on the problem do some kind of yoga or meditation. I totally embrace my sadness, I pick it apart until it is just dust and bones and then I promise myself that the next morning I wake up positive and determined.

Obviously there are certain situations where one night isn't going to cure you, what it does do though is face you in the right direction so at least you can begin somewhere.

The thing that debilitates me most is other peoples pain. I can make myself ill worrying about others. I'm not just talking about the Oxfam kind of stuff, I'm talking about those around you, your nearest and dearest. When you have to watch someone suffer knowing that no matter what you do, you are powerless. That is the only thing that "gets to me." I'd rather health problems, career failings or anything else that comes my way, than watching someone endure hurt.

What I've had to learn over the years however is that I can't fix people. Be the compost, help them recycle the bad feelings, be a source of nutrients but let it be up to them to grow. You can show them where the light is but it is they who must reach up for it.

So when all else fails, remember this and only this.

Persevere

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