We all do it. Every last one of us. We make mistakes and end up missing our goals. I call it “falling down.” As children even the simplest activities are difficult for us. Walking is a effort for most and it is needless to say running is almost out of question. But if we were not willing to pick ourselves up, cry away the tears, and persevere we would never go beyond crawling. And while my husband tends to remind me, “it looks like ‘Escapist’s Crawl’” that is not the point of this website.

I have fallen many times in the process of getting it online, and it has been frustrating and painful. But I got up, brushed the tears away and in the process I have learned a lot about a topic I never imagined knowing anything about.

It took me a long time to get the first humble page up but it was possible (and impossibly broken). This was a starting point, there was still a long way to climb to get it to the place you know find it in, and yet, there way up high is the peak. I still have a long way to go, and yes, a fall or two is certainly in store for me. But I am resilient and willing to try my luck, had I not been willing for some failure I never would have gotten this far.

When there is frustration in my life I tend to step back and look at something else. Many will do this and give up on the source of that frustration (when possible), this isn’t good.

My grandfather took care of me for many years when I got home from school. He helped me with my homework and showed me how to explore. We made many wonderful memories together and he taught me many things that he had learned in his long life that have proven very valuable in mine. One of the first lessons he shared was that you don’t give up. Have we become a society of quitters? He was from the generation that made due with what you had. You worked hard and you didn’t quit because you got upset or overwhelmed.

No.

You stopped, only a fool would try the same thing over and over expecting different outcomes. You cleared your head and you looked at it from a different direction. One that would hopefully offer new understanding.

The good thing about this is that you gain new understanding not just for the current task, but for solving a problem as a whole.

He was a character, my grandfather, he had a saying: “When life gives you lemons you plant lemon trees.” That was his way of saying that when you are met with problem, don’t just make a bad situation better, make the best of it. Anyone can make lemonade, but why make lemonade when you can make a tree?

We all fall down. You do it, I do it (more than I would care to admit) and we all get back up. But you either do it purposefully or because you have no other choice.

Be proactive.

Until next time,

Heather