I thought today I would share another poem with you. This poem was one that I read as a moldable teenager that I absorbed back then. The funny part is that I actually have to google this to ensure that I get it down correctly. Sitting here, there are really only a couple of lines or phrases that I can recall from memory, and yet, I rely on those specifically one when I need to dig deep and keep going.
"When life is all uphill...don't quit" and "You mustn't quit". Those are the two phrases that I recall from that poem, and I can't even say with 100% accuracy that I have quoted those properly. That is what I interpreted from the poem. I will now share with you the true version of "Don't Quit" by Edgar A. Guest.
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is strange with it's twists and turns
As everyone of us sometimes learns
And many of failure comes about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though when the pace seems slow -
You might succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell just how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
So there you go...I was in no real danger it seems of ever plagiarizing the poem; but the lesson stuck. Perhaps maybe the version I read said mustn't instead of must not, but the cool thing is that the actual lesson has lived with me through many many years. It's something that was pounded into me from a young age. Do your best, work hard, and don't quit. It's much easier to say than be resilient.
This may be a day after "Let's Talk Day", and maybe that's why this came to my mind this morning, but for anyone that needs this poem today...my hope is it will reinforce the resolve and the grit that you have inside to help you keep on keeping on....just don't quit.