Courage

Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.

Winston Churchill

This is not my first attempt at writing these pages. I had completed fifteen pages on my first try. Eying them proudly, I wanted to share what I had finished with I friend who had been on this journey with me. I called her, excited to share what I had accomplished. We made plans to meet the following weekend. I went over what I had written. I checked and rechecked. Finally, I was ready to print my work! There was only one problem. Somewhere along the way I managed to delete the entire text. I tried everything I could think of. I couldn’t find a way to retrieve any of it. Sadly, I called my friend and told her we would have to re-schedule. I no longer had anything to show her. All that work. My first real attempt at being a writer. Gone! 

After taking time to feel a little sorry for myself, I sat down at my desk and, once again, attempted to accomplish what I had set out to do. As I began, I noticed something interesting happening. What I wrote now seemed to be better than my original work. Accidentally erasing what I had written turned out to be a good thing.

I could have given up. A million reasons came to mind for why I shouldn’t continue. There was voice that said don’t stop. My guardian angel? My ego? I’m not sure. Continuing, as it turned out was the right thing to do.