Growing is like running a
twenty-six mile marathon.
If we give up on the twenty-fourth
mile,
we will never know what it feels
like to finish the race.
-- Anonymous
There will be times in our growth
when we will want to give up. Our pain seems to have no end to it.In a sense, we are like the runner
of a marathon on her twenty-fourth mile. She may think she cannot
finish the race; she may lose her ability to see things as they are.If she can remember previous
successes, she will no doubt make the decision to go on, to at least
give the race her best shot.It does not matter how may people
come in before or after her.It matters only that she has not
given up.When she crosses the finish line,
the pain turns quickly into joy.When we refuse to give up, we give
ourselves an accomplishment we can rejoice in, the reward of knowing
we have done our best.
We all fear what we don't know --
it's natural.
-- Leo Buscaglia
If we put a blindfold over our eyes
and begin to walk around an open field, we would feel unsure with each
step. We might be afraid of falling,
afraid of walking over some unseen edge and hurting ourselves.When any of us face something and
we don't know what the outcome will be, we often feel blindfolded. We
fear we may get hurt.We fear we can't do it.We have a hard time trusting
ourselves. A blind person often finds help or
guidance from others, or will gain confidence by walking on -- slowly
at first, finding trust and sureness with each step.These same things help us when we
are afraid.It is also helpful to remember
there is no right or wrong way to explore what faces us -- only our
own way.
Without solitude, there can be no
real people.
-- John Euder
We all need some time alone. It's a
good idea to set aside a few minutes every day to be alone with
ourselves. This is a very special time that is all our own. It's a time to relax and refresh
ourselves. This goes for every member of the
family, and it's important that we allow others some time for
themselves. It shows them we respect, love, and care about them.Without that solitude, they cannot
be truly themselves -- and neither can we.Nature teaches us that each thing,
even the earth itself, needs a retreat. Bears hibernate; cats crawl
off out of sight, even the plants disappear for the winter.It is this time that refreshes life
for the Spring to come.If we want to have healthy,
fulfilling relationships with each other, we all need time to
ourselves every day. Without being "real people" --
truly ourselves -- how can we be full members of our family?
