"Just Keep Me Going"

While thinking about a situation in my life today, one that has no easy answers, I heard myself say, "Just keep me going.  Just keep me going."  Yes, I do spend a lot of time alone in my work as a gardener, but no, I have not gone over the deep end from too much solitude.  My family may challenge that, but this is how I approach difficult situations, recognizing the need to continue moving forward, one step at a time. 


Many years ago, I was discussing a problem with a friend.  "What do I do?" I asked, expecting a list of suggestions.  The answer:  "Just keep going."  That was the last thing I wanted to hear!  However, over the years I have come to realize what wisdom was proffered in that response. 


We all have had, currently have, or will have circumstances in our lives that pretty much buckle us at the knees.  Sometimes we feel as though we literally are not going to survive and aren't sure if we want to.  There is no light at the end of the tunnel, only darkness and zero understanding.  Even everyday life, without a major calamity, at times feels like it is going to sink us.  Those are the times when we simply want to stop.  Life just feels too hard.


In this journey called life I have had more than my fair share of times when I simply dug in my heels, refusing to budge.   From the voice of experience, let me tell you what happens when you do that.  Use the correlation of a physical trip, and it is easily understood.  There is no change in scenery, no progress.  I call it being on a hamster wheel.   You know, the one where you may be going really fast, but you're not going anywhere.  That is when the fears come in, the doubts, the  confusion.  Attitudes sour and life becomes stagnant, a rut where nothing changes.  It is the antithesis of living.

This brings me back to the sage advice.  Each of us is on a particular path, a very specific, individualized walk.  It is ours and ours alone.  How DO you do that?--"Just keep going."  To begin with, you can only take the steps you are given to take.  But take them and others will follow.  For me, I know there are times when I need to be pushed along, nudged from behind, never allowed to simply stay in one place.  That is why my mantra, my prayer is to "Just keep me going."   The result has been a richer, fuller life than I could have imagined, and the views are much better than they are from a hamster wheel.  :)