Aging with Grace

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.