Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the 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 had he 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 slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
- Author unknown


This is a popular poem that I am 95% sure that the author is Anonymous (some sites have a name but I don't know who to believe). The first time I came across this poem I was going through a difficult time, about 4 years ago. I had never seen it before. I wandered into a Religious store, near the church in my town. It was right next to a Green Cross with silver lining. On the top of the cross a silver sign dangled and it said 'Don't Quit.' I walked out of the store, with the cross and poem (I paid, don't worry). About 6 months later I was with some people and a friend of mine read this poem and said that he loved it because it reminded him of his dad, who he had just recently lost. I am always amazed how the same words on the same paper can strike people so differently, it really is a beautiful thing.
I was feeling down on myself yesterday because I have to change my running schedule slightly this week. Life happens and it doesn't always go as planned, yet I still get a little thrown off when it doesn't. Last night I left work a little late, couldn't catch the train (too many people), the bus never came, and I was running late to where I had to be. It wasn't the end of the world, but I was frustrated I couldn't go home and have the rest of the night fall in order the way I had planned it in my mind. Thankfully a friend of mine was able to point out that God really is the only one with the plan and that God probably thought it was funny I had one yesterday...
I had to laugh, because seriously if my biggest issue is finding enough time in the day to do all the things that I have an opportunity to be a part of, not really seeing the issue here. When you break down any 'problem' and get down to the core, you can always find gratitude. At the end of the day, I had eaten, I had a place to lay my head, and I had clean clothes and running water... The bare necessities were met but my mini tantrum made it a little hard for me to see that at first...

My favorite line in the poem;
"success is failure turned inside out, the silver tint in the clouds of doubt"
That is awesome. Like choosing to say silver tint instead of lining, because a lot of the time it's hard to see or find the positive. Every failure is just a lesson we needed to learn before we get the success we are striving for. This 'Anonymous' was one deep cookie. So my message today is to just keep going. Feeling guilty about something I have no control over or can not change, really will get me no where. I'm choosing to look up positive things today so by 6 when I hit the gym, I'll be filled with motivation and gratitude.

Even though it's easy to complain, like most of America, about sitting behind a desk for 8-10 hours a day most of the week, when you see people come in with smiles on their faces because they are grateful to have another day here, it is so hard to think you have it bad. Yesterday there was a patient who came in and he looks amazing! When I started working here, almost a year ago, I used to see this person and my heart just dropped every time he came in. He is young, and he was in a wheelchair sometimes because the treatment made it hard for him to walk. Yesterday he walked in with a smile from ear to ear. His face was filled with color and honestly it is the type of situation that can only be described as a walking miracle. I haven't seen him in a few months and it was just so amazing. Anyway, I just thought I'd share that on here. To physically see for yourself a person beat cancer, really is one of the most amazing things I think I will see in my lifetime. The courage and strength of the patients and their families and friends who are there with them every step of the way, truly is love in action.