Determination
The rain fell most of the night and the morning is damp and humid. The sky is overcast and the sun is struggling to come out to play but the clouds won’t let it. The foliage surrounding me is Caribbean green and the wild flowers have a richness of color that can only be described as poetic. I’m on the island of Guadeloupe doing what I do. Every day here seems to be a long day and today promises to be one filled with intensity.
As I sit here having my breakfast by the pool, I’m mesmerized by the gentle undulation and the blueness of the water. Suddenly my peripheral vision catches the sight of a worm struggling for survival as he’s being chased by a hungry, young and inexperienced bird. The latter is many times the size of that little worm that’s moving and twirling in an attempt to avoid the bird’s vicious beak. I think the worm is toast when the scene changes. Another bird shows up and wants the same worm so a fight ensues between the two birds giving the worm the chance to escape in the nearest hole. Another day of survival for the little worm. Two angry birds are left behind with no breakfast.
I’m still enjoying my healthy breakfast as I watch these two birds fly away to find another less determined prey. That’s when I begin to think how similar life is to the scene I just observed. We are in a daily battle for survival. We get up every morning to face another day with our plans hoping they all will be successful. We are totally oblivious to the vicious birds of life that will see us as feeble prey to their unpredictable traps.
It takes real determination to live every day and come home in the evening unscathed. It takes a will of steel just to survive the onslaught of challenges, difficult situations and people we have to encounter every day. Determination is needed to live an authentic life that is real in every sense of the word. Determination or lack of it can make or break a life. Determination is one of the main ingredients in the struggle on this side of eternity.
If you are determined you will get what you want or something just as good, perhaps something better. When you are determined, complaining becomes the bird that will see you as its potential lunch. You have to remain focused and not give up because determination is about putting one foot in front of the other until you reach your goal.
It just started to rain again. Just a drizzle at first; slowly increasing in rapidity. The shape of the blue water has changed. The sun has lost its battle for now but is still shining behind the clouds, waiting for the next opportunity to come out and play. The little worm is safe back in the whole having won the fight of another day. For the moment nature waits, just like life. We all must wait; sometimes the wait is long and then gets longer. Yet we don’t give up. We hang on to our determination for another day; to be the best we can be, since that’s who we are and who we were me ant to be.
They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination. Neh 6:9
Self-Esteem Strategist
"Where there is a Wilny, there's a way."
www.wilnyaudain.com
443 226-3165
305 621-3882 (fax)
So true, Odie. It reminds me of the style of boxing champ Muhammad Ali in doing battle in the ring with the late Joe Frazier and other legends of the sport. Ali learned to pace himself. He employed the innovative technique of rope-a-dope, covering up and letting his opponent punch himself out and become exhausted while doing no damage to Ali. In the late rounds of a bout Ali was the fresher combatant and emerged victorious. It takes patience and determination. It takes living right, working hard and playing it smart. Thanks for this post, good buddy!
ReplyDeleteGreat and inspirational words, Odie. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a marvellous portrayal of determination. The author writes with such poetic clarity. I loved reading this, thank you, Odie! I trust you, Linda and the two pups are having a good Monday.
ReplyDelete