Stubborn Hills, Stubborn Lisa

Today I am grateful to all of the veterans who have fought and worked to first gain and then preserve our freedom. Too many of us, me included, take that freedom for granted too often. Today I will try to appreciate that freedom as I go through my day. . . doing what I choose and feeling safe.

I am also grateful for time with Arthur and Alyssa, a run with Darcy, and the hills on our running routes.

I have always run on hills. The two farms I grew up on had hills. The river city I live in has hills.I like the challenge of hills, facing them with a "You aren't getting the better of me" attitude.Hills make good metaphors. Facing a cancer diagnosis, surgeries, and treatment was a series of hills to traverse. Not taking a drink when I really wanted the escape was a big hill to climb on many days. Practicing gratitude habitually can be an obstacle when self-pity slips in. Finding time to write in a busy day with many commitments seemed like a mountain at times, but has become much more manageable in size.

Hills are stubborn. But so am I. Being stubborn has helped me, but also hindered me. Most of us probably could speak to both of those aspects. I decided to take a look at the definition of stubborn.  Here it is:

stub·born 1. a. Unreasonably, often perversely unyielding; bullheaded. b. Firmly resolved or determined; resolute. 2. Characterized by perseverance; persistent. 3. Difficult to treat or deal with; resistant to treatment or effort: stubborn soil; stubborn stains. The definitions in 1.b. and 2 are the type of stubbornness that serve me well.  1.a. will get me in trouble, particularly in places like marriage and motherhood. Cancer and alcoholism fit definition 3.But the right kind of perseverance and persistence can get me through. This is where the wisdom of one day at a time and the help of a power beyond myself can really help me climb. I am the kind of runner who sees a hill and says "You're mine" and then starts climbing a step at a time. Some of the steps are painful, slower, but I keep moving. The view from the top is worth it.It's a mind game for me now. I won't walk a hill because I am just stubborn enough to keep plodding along. I will walk away from an argument or not start one in the first place because I have learned that that is the kind of stubbornness I can do without. How is your own stubbornness serving you well? How is it hindering you? There is much to learn from both kinds.