Persisting in the face of adversity

My day job brings me in contact with many mentally ill or abused individuals. We can be cruel to each other. I witness enough purposeful cruelty to grow weary at times, but never enough to call it quits. I have been thinking on this frequently.

Just as I choose to celebrate the positive legacies of those I have lost, I choose to celebrate the personal successes of the individuals I work with. Have they faced severe tragedy? Often the answer is yes. Yet they choose persistence and recovery. Even when they want to stay in bed.

As a person who shares in their histories and their struggles, I am astounded. I spoke about magic yesterday. The repatterning of the brain through conscious positive thought was listed as magic to me. The reason is this:

Why keep trying?

Why get up?

Why love again?

Quitting seems the simpler option, yet we persist in our belief there is something better.

We search for purpose.

We create entirely new lives for ourselves.

We succeed.

I see it over and over. Humans at their lowest insistent on reaching for their highest

and achieving it!

Chocolate earned.

Little else in life inspires me so much. Especially as I know what it is like to want to stay down. Somehow I have kept myself moving. It is a profound statement of personal ability.

I am adding to my commitment to celebrate. I do not only want to celebrate positive memories. I want to cheer for consciously positive actions, regardless of size. There are times in life when brushing my teeth twice a day is asking too much of me. To my amazement, as depression is no small hindrance, I always manage to brush at least once. From now on, I will give myself a round of applause for completing that basic act of self-care.

I hope you will join me. We may need to look for actions to celebrate. We will begin to spot them quicker.

What are you celebrating today?

All images sourced through Pixabay.