Stubborn
Hope
“Hope
begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and
try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and
work: you don't give up.”
Anne
Lamott
My
mother used to tell me, “You're as stubborn as a Missouri mule!”
She didn't mean that as a compliment. It was just one of the ways
she, in her sweet southern-lady guile, bent people to her will. My
mother was a steel magnolia with a straight-razor mind, dressed up as
a demure belle of gentility. Most people fell for it, and those who
didn't paid the price.
I
found out that Missouri mules were, in fact, chosen as the Official
Animal of Missouri by the General Assembly in 1995. They are known
for their strength, hardiness, intelligence, even temper, and
“healthy” stubbornness. A Missouri mule is a good animal! A
strong animal! So next time someone says that to you, just thank them
and go on about your business.
Stubbornness
has its strengths. It can help you keep your vision alive, while
climbing an insurmountable number of steps to a goal. It can make you
determined enough to “prove them wrong” that you become single
minded in pursuit of your dream. It fuels that ability to "wait and
watch and work" until your vision becomes reality. It keeps you going
when you want to give up.
Stubbornness
also has its limitation. It can close you off to new ways of seeing
things, to new ideas that would enhance and augment your vision. It
can prevent you from accepting facts that are contrary to your stated
goal, and therefore ensure failure.
I
remember my great-grandfather putting “blinders” on his old black
mule that I'm pretty sure didn't come from Missouri. Little panels of
black leather that fit on either side of the harness at the eyes.
They kept the mule from looking to the left or right, and forced him
to stay focused on the straight and narrow path ahead. We don't want
to wear blinders when we have a vision in mind. We want to stay on
the path, and still have a wide view of the possibilities. Be like a
Missouri mule today—hardy, smart, and even tempered with a healthy
dose of stubbornness.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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