The other day, I fell.
Streams of hard work ran through my face. I was tired. Tired of life and all it had made me go through. I was on my knees, sunk in my thoughts, deliberating whether I should stand up or not. “Maybe I should stay here a little longer,” I said to myself, but a “little longer” went by and I was still on my knees.
The journey had been long, and the road had been rough. The rocks on the road were treacherous, killing my feet. I had fallen other times, but they had never been as intense as this one. To stand up and continue the journey seemed to be the hardest thing in the world, yet it was the one and only thing I craved the most. To be sure, this accomplishment required much more than hollow words. It required heart and mind.
I was weakened by the obstacles on the road. My weary soul had gone through so much! Getting this far had not been easy, and falling like this had not been hard. I felt I had no strength left. I felt alone. I felt betrayed by my own will and denied any determination. To stand up and continue, now seemed more distant than ever it did before. I couldn’t go any farther, my heart, my body, my mind, wouldn’t let me. “I can’t take it anymore” I said to myself. Yet another part of me awoke and said: “Don’t give up! You can do it.”
At that point it became very challenging to choose what to do. I was confused. To give up sounded so easy, yet something inside me wouldn’t allow it. I looked up to the sky, deep into the eyes of God, hoping to find myself in the blink of an eye. Not surprisingly, I was still on my knees. I realize I’m not the only one who feels inundated by failure. I know I am the only one who CAN continue.
Instead of focusing on my misery, and adding to the sorrows pooling inside of me, I held my head up high. High as if nothing had happened, as if I had never fallen. I restrained the “buts” and the “can’ts”, and didn’t allow them to rule in my mind, anymore. As I lifted my head I saw a hand in front of me, offering help and bringing my heart new hope that colored my face with a smile. So I grabbed that helping hand and stood up. I realized that it was hard indeed, but no one said it would be easy. I also realized that there was really no one there, except in my imagination. All the negativeness and difficulty had only existed in my mind. I was up again and had overcome my challenge.
I continued my way through life, and though I’ve had many falls, and will continue to have, I will always remember that day I fell. Even when I felt I couldn’t go on anymore, when situations couldn’t be worse, I held my head up high and challenged life no matter how hard it seemed to be.
Now every time I fall, I look up to the sky, and I realize I am not alone. So I remember the day I fell, but not as the day I fell; but as the day I rose.