Shake it off and keep going
I’m back after the holidays. Am I supposed to feel rested? It didn’t work out that way for me. I have no idea what rested actually feels like, but I’m glad I’m back. Hope you didn’t miss me too much. (grin)
I heard a story about a farmer named John that was out feeding his animals on the farm when he noticed that his beloved donkey, Freddy, was missing. He walked all over the fields but couldn’t find him anywhere. Eventually he stood still for a moment, and he could hear the donkey wailing in the distance. He followed the sound until he came to the well. He leaned over and saw Freddy at the bottom.
Farmer John could see the distress on the donkey’s face and tried his best to get him out of the deep hole. He tried ropes, ladders, and planks, but nothing worked. The farmer sent down water and food to keep Freddy hydrated and fed while he could to make a plan to get him out of the well.
After three days, John gave up because he realized that there was no way for him to get Freddy out of the well. He spent one more day trying to save him but after the fourth day of trying unsuccessfully to retrieve Freddy from the well, he gave up. He called his neighbors who were also unsuccessful.
The farmer decided that the donkey was old and the well was already dry and needed to be covered anyway; that it really wasn’t worth pulling the donkey out of the well. The neighbors joined John in using shovels to throw dirt down with shovels. They were going to fill the well up and bury Freddy in it.
At first, the donkey cried horribly as he realized that the farmer had given up and was going to bury him while he was still in the well. Then, all those shoveling dirt closed their ears not to hear the sad wails of Freddy.
But then Freddy stopped crying, and everyone peered over the edge to see why he became silent. But, instead, they saw the donkey standing still, and as they shoveled, he shook the ground off his back and stepped on it.
Freddy continued to do this, as they shoveled he took a step up until he was level with the ground. Then, he looked at them, gave a neigh, and ran off to the pasture.
Like Freddy, sometimes we are given a hard knock in life, and people try to help but they eventually give up on us. But it is important to keep going, shake it off and take a step up until you are out of the deepest of wells.
Life is going to throw dirt on you, all kinds of dirt… the trick to getting out of the hole is to shake it off and use it to step up. Each of our problems are steppingstone.
Even the most impossible of situations are possible. Maybe not in the way we want them to be or how we think we need them to be, but somehow they work out. You have already faced some nearly impossible times and come through them maybe a little bruised and broken, but you made it. When you see them show up in the future, don’t panic. Take a deep breath, and hold on.
For me, my faith in God gives me the strength to keep going. At the end of the day, most of our regrets will lie in the things that we were too afraid to try. Fear is one of the biggest deterrents of success. If you never get the courage to try, you will always fail. Will you give up after a few setbacks or will you shake it off and keep going?
Each person is different in how they deal with the impossible, just know that you have within you the strength to go on. Shake it off, step up, and keep going.
1. Simplify your life.
welcome back!!! hopefully there were a few peaceful days for you.
agreed-refuse to give up! failure is the pathway to success. don’t let the MS monster win.
Beautifully said… thanks Bunny.
Happy New Year! Welcome back, and let’s focus on the positive as you remind us in your posts. There is joy in front of us if we look with purpose.
Welcome back. You have no idea how much your thoughts mean to me. We have the same outlook on being positive as well receiving strength from God.
I’m in a valley, unfortunately, right now. I have to humble myself to ask for help. Unfortunately because I look fine it is hard to get people to help me. It is very humbling.
I know God will help me figure it out. Reading your blog helps so much ❤️
not having visible symptoms is a blessing and a curse. ya hear- you look great! yeah but if people could look inside our bodies, their comments would be much different.
hang in there, tap into the national ms society for helpful resources- you’re not alone xo
Thankful to see and read your encouraging words. Welcome back love the posts above. So invisible the symptoms to others, having to ask for help, the loneliness of not being able to participate with friends…… New Year new opportunities to not give up.