When The Going Gets Tough, Don’t Give Up - A Life Lesson

When I was at school, there were two sporting events each year that I dreaded.

The first was the annual school swimming festival. We were expected to take part in the swimming trials to qualify.

I was not very good. I was a recreational swimmer, not a competitive one.

I did my best, but it was never going to be good enough.

I swam, but never made it to the big day.

Then there was the annual cross-country run.

The run was over a course of approximately three miles, and the cross-country part was mostly across the fields of a local farm. The path across was poorly maintained, and with the race being run in early spring, April showers had turned it to mud. Crossing without falling over was a challenge. It was slippery, and no one made it across clean.

I was not a long-distance runner. I was more of a sprinter. Over the longer distance, I would get the dreaded runner’s stitch. The last mile or so would be painful. I trained for shorter distances.

But we had to do it; we had no choice. Only those with a doctor’s certificate managed to avoid it.

I knew that I was never going to win or be in the top ten, or top fifty.

But for those five years at school, I finished the course, covered in mud, relieved that it was over.

My goal was to just finish the race, and I did.

It was hard, but sometimes there are things in life that you have to do that are hard.

Thanks for reading!

 

This story was first published on Medium, Sep 18, 2024.

When The Going Gets Tough, Don’t Give Up 

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay