run the gauntlet

Here’s a wonderful thought courtesy of Thomas Merton: “Perhaps I am stronger than I think.”

In the midst of to-dos piling up, new challenges and dreams beckoning simultanteously, and the ever-present feeling that I do not have it all under control I am encouraged by the truism that life never throws more at us than we can handle and resisting the urge to drop everything and run means that my shoulders gradually become stronger. Samuel Johnson had a point when he said, “Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.”

“When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid” –  Audre Lorde

“True strength lies in submission which permits one to dedicate her life, through devotion, to something beyond herself.” – Henry Miller

“Strength is Happiness. Strength is itself victory. In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness. When you wage a struggle, you might win or you might lose. But regardless of the short-term outcome, the very fact of your continuing to struggle is proof of your victory as a human being.” –  Daisaku Ikeda