Can’t Knock Me Down!

I am reading this book, by David Goggins called, “Can’t Stop Me”, and it’s about overcoming the obstacles that all of us have had in life. Not just some, all of us. Some have had it worse than others, but all of us have had our struggles.

I found my deep, country quiet later in life after decades of mostly emotional battles that involved family members who weren’t well. The important fact is I found it. I found that deep seeded, quiet strength inside me that I had to cultivate on my own. I spent years discipling myself to pick myself up, do whatever I would be doing, if I wasn’t hurting, and to move on.

I learned you can be pitiful or powerful, but you can’t be both.

Over the years, “I knew that the confidence I’d managed to develop didn’t come from a perfect family or God-given talent. It came from personal accountability which brought me self-respect, and self-respect will always light a way forward.” Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

One of the chores I had growing up in San Antonio, Texas was picking up rocks. I dang sure did. My parents had bought a small 10 acre horse farm when I was a sophomore in high school. I was taking riding lessons to learn how to hunt fences and was the sole trainer of my first mare. The area where we wanted to build a hunt course was of course covered in medium size, limestone rocks. So for the next year, instead of meeting friends and lessening the pain of being the new kid, I picked up rocks and stacked them to build a real rock wall that was 2 ft tall. That was my first jump, made with the hard work, sweat and tears of a 16 year old girl.

Don’t get me wrong. I hated building that fence. My horse hated it too and she would try to knock me off under a low hanging branch every time we attempted to jump it. (I can’t blame her. If she didn’t pick up her feet high enough those rocks would zing her hooves, and I know it must have hurt.). But, building that wall taught me that I could work hard, even if I didn’t like it. And the fact that my hard work actually paid off, gave me gratification that no one could take away from me.

When you hear about work ethic, this was it. Pure and simple. Pick up rocks and build yourself a wall. Then, teach a 1200 lb animal to jump that wall. It was pretty intoxicating, even if it stank in the beginning.

I’ve had some obstacles lately. Nothing monumental, mind you, but walls, rock walls in my way. And I’m kind of at the point where I just want to smash through that wall, or sorts, and then build it all over again. Or do I just admire my past work and move on?

The human spirit gets knocked down a lot in one’s lifetime. So just remember, if someone knocks down your wall, remember how satisfying it will be once you rebuild. Hang in there. We’ve all had times when it was only our perseverance that kept us moving forward. Small bites. One step at a time, one moment at a time. It will all be worth it!