Never Give Up

 "Never, ever, ever, ever, ever give up."

(Winston Churchill)

Sometimes I get discouraged

at the things I haven't accomplished yet;

at the to-do list that hardly seems to budge;

at all the writing projects yet to be published;

the music compositions yet to be polished;

the artwork I can't quite find time

to get back to the studio to finish;

the state of my house on any given day;

the never-ending dishes and laundry;

the clothes in need of mending;

the car repairs beyond my budget;

the stack of bills needing to be paid;

the long search for a full-time call

that will allow me to use my gifts,

feed my family, and also

to spend time with them;

the dreams and aspirations

on the back burner

for now.

It would be easy to look at my life and say,

'I am not a success.'

And yet,

Everything I've accomplished,

especially these last eight years:

Everything I've written,

Every community project I've done,

Every bit of progress I have made,

I did without an office of my own;

I did without even a laptop to myself;

I did without a secretary;

I did as a solo parent of 4;

I did living in or near poverty;

I did juggling multiple jobs;

I did living in low-income housing;

I did working overnights on call;

I did during a damn pandemic.

Given all that,

On the whole,

All things considered,

Things could be better;

But,

Perhaps I'm not

doing all that badly.

I know I'm doing

the best I can for now,

and yet

I look forward

to the day

when I am not held back

by so many obstacles

that shouldn't need

to be there at all.