The perseverance

A few days ago I watched and ant carry a crumb nearly three times its size. For some reason I could not look away. The crumb was awkward and heavy. For too largee for such a tiny creature.b

Every few inches the ant would stop. It would adjust,push and pull and then continue. Sometimes the crumb would stuck between the cracks if the pavement. Sometimes the gustvof wind would move it backwards. Sometimes the ant would move it backwards. Sometimes the any would lose its grip completely.

And yet every time it started again. No frustration and no complaints. No dramatic declaration that life is unfair. Just persistence. Step after step. I know it sounds silly...but I sat there and watched it for several minutes.

And the linger I watched the more I thought about how often exactly feels like that. Most of us are carrying something. A responsibility or a dream or a worry or a greif or a goal.

Something that feels heavy for us. Something that makes us wonder if we will ever reached where we are trying to reach. From outside people usually only see movement. They see someone going to work. Studying. Smiling and posting photos and living.

What they don't see is the weight that they are lifting. The bills that someone is worried about and the family that someone is worried about about. The heart break that some one is still trying to deal with. The expections that they are struggling to meet. The anxiety they hide behind a polite smile.

Every one is carrying a crumb that no one else can see. That is why I have started believing that kindness is often less about being nice and more about being aware. Aware that the person in front of you may be fighting a battle you do not know about. Aware that the patience costs you very little but can mean a lot. Aware that a little understanding can make someone's burden feel lighter.

The older I get the less impressed I am by perfection. Perfect lives do not teach that much. And that a perfect life do not really exist. What inspires me now is the persistence.

The student who keeps trying again and again after failing an exam. The parent who keeps showing up despite being exhausted. The job seeker who sends another application after countless rejection. The person who continues believing in better days while living through difficult ones.

There is something deeply admirable about people who keep moving not because they are fearless. Not because they have everything figured out. But because they chose not to stop. May be strength is not lifting the heaviest weight. May be strength is deciding to carry it one more day. One more step and one more hour.

And eventually the ant disappeared into a tiny opening in the ground. Crumb and all. It's journey was over. Nobody appluaded and nobody celebrated. The world continued exactly as before. Yet somehow watching these things made me smile.

Because victories happen like that. Quietly. Without an audience. Without recognition n without fanfare. Just a person carrying something difficult and refusing to give up. And perhaps that kind of perseverance deserves more admiration that we give it.