The sun has come out and the snow that was with us for a couple of days is melting rapidly. Though geraniums are not winter hardy in our region, on the back deck, my potted one has not given up yet.
Just yesterday it was covered by at least ten centimetres of snow; today the leaves, still green, stand bravely supporting the pink buds of hope. As soon as the weather improves, the plant seems to be saying, we will overcome this temporary setback and carry on.
As the British know well, Carry on! is a great motto. Today I must carry on with my promise to myself to finish my Nanowrimo novel. The time for procrastination is over. Only yesterday I passed the halfway mark, but my fellow scribblers keep telling me in email pep talks not to give up. Around the halfway point, they say, the process gets really interesting.
And it does. Because of what I am learning, I will carry on to the end. Even if I do fail to beat this looming deadline of November 30 at midnight, I'll rise again, like the Mary Ellen Carter.
In a ballad by the late great Canadian folksinger Stan Rogers, that sunken ship is raised from the bottom by sailors and floats once more at the dock. (You can listen to this remarkable song here.)
The rousing chorus is filled with encouragement for people everywhere who have lost something of great importance:
"No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend
Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again."
No comments:
Post a Comment