words for wednesday {page 9, plodding}

Those who wish to sing, always find a song.

Swedish Proverb

The Hare darted almost out of sight at once, but soon stopped and, to show his contempt for the Tortoise, lay down to have a nap. The Tortoise plodded on and plodded on, and when the Hare awoke from his nap, he saw the Tortoise just near the winning-post and could not run up in time to save the race. Then said the Tortoise:

" Plodding wins the race”

Aesop

I slip back many times, I fall, I stand still, I run against the edge of hidden obstacles, I lose my temper and find it again and keep it better, I trudge on, I gain a little, I feel encouraged, I get more eager and climb higher and begin to see the widening horizon. Every struggle is a victory.

Helen Keller – The Story of My Life

I love autobiographies, but in the last few years I have found the lives of ‘inspiring’ high achievers hard to stomach. I close my copy and remember my current lot more acutely it seems. And I’m back to wishing I could be doing the book-worthy things. I feel tired just reading about all the things they did and thought, and my victory of doing the washing or practicing or remembering a name fades into nothing.

 But Keller’s biography is wonderful because she had obstacles piled against her high as a blind and deaf woman, and she had to climb Hill Difficulty. I find her climbing analogy so apt for the last few years. So I plod onwards, in good company with men and women from past and present, who don’t fly through the days with ease. It’s comforting to know that it’s ok to struggle along, and it’s not in vain.