I thought I’d give one more sneak peak of what’s to come when you follow this blog (for all the rebels who like to read the last page first).

Ultimately and fundamentally I’ll preach, don’t quit (hallelujah, amen, period, thanks for coming). I had no more frequent temptation in life than to do just that–quit (picture fetal position, white flags, choking out “uncle,” playing possum, giving my 3-week notice, taking up an agoraphobia hobby, you get it). So with some authority and much desire to bolster the weary among us, I repeat, under no circumstances give up, ever. If I know of anything I can do for you as a result of my lessons in “different” (see “Anomaly” post), it’s relentlessly channel my inner Winston Churchill.

Races are meant to be finished, so for goodness sake, don’t stop anywhere short of the finish line, even if you have to crawl, trip or fall over it onto your lovely face. Partway to victory is not where you want to set up camp (even if a doctor, professional, authority or friend says so, and many a one does), because you just might stay there forever. That’s called settling, and it just makes a bad situation worse, the highest crime we commit against ourselves in my book.

So, my chronic message to you and me will be, get up! Get up again. And if you can’t get up on the outside, then get yourself up on the daggone inside. Don’t close your eyes in the middle of a concussion. Fight for vision. Endure. Come back. And do life with excellence in whatever ways you can no matter how life is happening. Mediocrity never changed the world. Be outstanding. Whether you need a cheerleader or a solid kick in the pants to move through your stuff, I’m your girl. YOU. CAN. (Rah-rah-ree, kick ’em in the knee.)

This blog is me standing back up too, by the way, from my current, three-year K.O. round in the ring. I don’t know how many times a phoenix can rise from those ashes, but I’m bound and determined to find out. And I’m a scrappy fighter, so it’s not pretty over here right now sometimes, but what I lack in finesse I make up for in resolve.

So for me, this blog is an un-sticking. Stuck is the opponent that so often shows up to hold us down, so I opened my laptop with a wink to the opponent’s corner from my down position. I’m conscious, still breathing, says my one twitched eyelid. Game not over. Like a crouching tiger, I’m conserving energy looking for the right time to pounce. I’m coming for you again, lifting my heavy head off the floor. Life is grand, but life also feels like that sometimes.

You and I, though, were constructed of guts, not resignation. Conquering is in our DNA underneath it all. So, if no one is encouraging you saying, “You’re strong, brave, a beast really, and you’re killing it just by putting one foot in front of the other today, and you will become more from this if you doggedly hold on,” then let me tell you just that. I intend for that message to be the undercurrent keeping this blog (i.e., you and me) afloat.

With Hope and Heart in Hand,
Carolyn

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