Several years ago I had a particularly difficult time dealing with the stress associated with moving to a new apartment, my mother undergoing triple by-pass surgery when she was in her late 80s, a riff with my sister and a bank account that was ebbing without a source in sight to increase its flow. My external circumstances caused me to spend a lot of time looking inward to determine what was truly important in my life — what  gave me joy and what caused me discomfort. What could I control and what was out of my hands. I felt overwhelmed much of that time but I persevered, making one decision at a time, taking  one action at a time, sharing what I learned with others and counting my blessings from moment to moment to moment.

During that stressful time in my life, my Business Volunteer for the Arts partner and friend stopped over to my apartment with a little bag in her hand. In the bag was a metal frame with a leaf motif and inside the frame was the following poem by an unknown author.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will
When the road you're trudging seems uphill
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile but you have to sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit –
Rest if you must but
Don't quit.

Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems afar
So, stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things go wrong that
You mustn't quit.

The poem sits to the right of my computer on a bookcase in my office. I look at the poem often and it reminds me to celebrate the fact that I got through those dark days. It's also a visual reminder that bad times don't last forever, even though they feel like they will. In addition, it reminds me how powerful words of encouragement from friends can be.

When I was at my low ebb, I didn't need my friends to tell me what to do; I just needed them to remind me that I had the inner courage and the strength to get through the events in my life. In addition, I needed them to listen to me when I wanted to talk and to give me additional information about a situation, without judging me or lecturing me about what I should do. It's because my friends shared their life experiences and let me talk that I was able to truly "hear" myself and decide what I needed to do next. They didn't treat me like a broken china doll; they treated me like a valuable treasure that was still encased in its wrapping and they allowed me all the time I needed to break free of that shroud of worry and self-doubt.

Because of words of encouragement from friends and my own hard work, I was able to make progress and those dark days vanished. It's because of what I've learned from my experience that I can help others when they're afraid that their dark days will last forever. That's truly how progress is made, by coming from our hearts and sharing what we've learned with others. As one of us heals, others benefit too.

For me, it helps if I remember that sometimes we're the teacher and sometimes we're the student. Both roles are necessary if we're to make progress as individuals and collectively as a community and we'll each have many opportunities in our lives to play both roles. Whether now is your time to be the teacher or the student, don't quit. Many people will benefit from your experience.