Trying

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn’t," but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle it in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That "couldn’t be done," and you’ll do it.


from Collected Verse of Edgar Guest
NY:Buccaneer Books, 1976, pg. 285


I have deep and precious memories of family get-together where my Gramme, Uncle and Daddy would begin quoting poetry and all of us kids would listen amazed at the memory they had for these words and lessons that came with them. This poem by Edgar Guest is one of my favorites. This week I had the first negative feedback on this blog. The comment was something to the effect that if I am smiling and "happy" and others are able to see that - that I must not be "that sick". In essence this critic was saying that being a joy-filled person cannot be done by someone who is really in pain or ill. I have definitely had moments when I felt the same exact way. I believed that my health would steal any joy I had away from me, and that my life was ruined. But I was wrong. I could have let it destroy me, except that I am very stubborn and I want more than to be a victim of illness and pain.

So here I am ... trying. I guess this year will be a good test to see if I loose my resolve or am able to stick with it!