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?
