Photo Credit: Kervintran/Photopin CC
It was a day like any other. For someone. Somewhere.
But not for me.
For me, stark white walls and the whirr of machines defined my day.
That is, days.
In fact, my son’s hospital bed and his sleeping form registered reality in a most unwelcomed way.
Hours.
Days.
Weeks.
How long had I even been there?
Too long.
I plucked a crumpled napkin from my dinner tray and on it I wrote:
Today I’m sad.
Today I have no words.
Today I’m a dabbler.
BUT…
Today I write.
Because writers persevere.
Simple lines, but ones that are forever etched in my memory.
I’d been sidelined. I knew then that my long-held dream of becoming a writer probably wouldn’t happen for a very long time.
There were many more “napkin notes.” Little missives scribbled at midnight in between IV changes and physician rounds.
I became a dabbler. No longer actively pursuing writing or writing anything of particular value, yet writing just the same. Sometimes a word. Sometimes twenty.
And still…
I persevered.
I discovered that dabblers were/are writers, too.
Whether by choice or by circumstance, sometimes it’s all you’ve got.
It’s when you keep at it–day in, day out–that a valley’s forged. A switch flips.
You keep writing the words that may not make their way into a book, but words that grow you and stretch you as a writer.
They are the words that may not matter to others, but ones that turn the tide for you.
Why?
Because somewhere along the way you discover something about yourself. You’ve got what it takes.
You’ve been upended, but you’ve landed on your feet. Perhaps older. Definitely wiser. (And good gracious, what a relief!)
Ask anyone who’s overcome trials and tough situations what the tipping point was during his journey, and most of the time, the answer will have something to do with a conscious decision.
He decided to persevere.
Life is like that. Writing’s like that.
It’s not necessarily eloquence and artistry as much as it is repetition and stamina.
Dabbling serves a purpose. But perseverance is the key.
Friend, if you’re struggling today with knowing where your place is or what the future holds, never doubt for a moment the influence of simple.
It’s the sum of those simple things that blossom into grand!
******
How do you deal with your seasons of perseverance?
Have you ever been stretched as a writer?
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Here’s to dabbling, writing, and persevering!
Blessings Always,
Comments 5
WONDERFUL, Cynthia. So good. I liked it when you said “decided to persevere.” It’s a choice, it really is. I feel pretty stretched as a writer right now–there’s nothing super hard going on in my life, I’m just…overwhelmed. But every paragraph written is a step closer to a scene and every scene is a step closer to a chapter and every chapter is a step closer to a full story. So…one day at a time, right?
Author
Melissa, exactly! It’s easy to get bogged down, too, by the weight of expectation. When I gave myself permission to place my writing on hold, that was actually when I grew the most.
And it sounds like you’ve hit the nail on the head–paragragh–>scene–>chapter–>story! Baby steps lead to giant outcomes! =)
Perseverance is what keeps me going when it hurts too much to sit at the computer desk, and it’s much too distracting to write – or so it seems.
The reality is that pain is just a part of life, and we all get the same 24 hours every day.
This thing’s going to waste me whether I stay in bed and feel sorry for myself, or work.
May as well work, and so refute every hopeless, self-pitying, whiny and weak thought.
Author
Andrew, you have the market cornered on perseverance! Praying for God’s miraculous touch, my friend!
Need the prayers and that miraculous touch today, Cindy.
Meanwhile, Tennyson to the rescue, with the last lines of Ulysses –
“To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”