Friday, October 31, 2014

Holding Your Ground

Today we read the message inside a fortune cookie that says this:

"The mightiest oak in a forest is just a little nut that held its ground."

I love that the nut literally holds onto the earth around it in order to grow. But I also know that the expression, "hold your ground," means two more things. It can mean you refuse to change your opinion or behaviors that you know are right (even if others want you to). The expression also means you refuse to retreat backwards in the face of opposition.

You stay put. You don't compromise. You refuse. You keep your eyes fixed on the goal without retreating. Living with flair means we hold our ground against cynicism, complaint, boredom, bitterness, jealousy, despair, and hopelessness. We hold our beautiful and joyous ground!

What ground must I hold today? Against what or whom?

(And for someone who often feels a little bit odd or crazy, the idea that a Little Nut might hold her ground and one day become the mightiest oak makes me smile.)

For whatever it is today that requires this kind of fortitude, we Little Nuts hold our ground.


1 comment:

Elaine said...

Love this! Another on-line friend and I were comparing notes on this seasons acorns. We both have found them recently just lying on the ground - but - they had already put their root down into the earth! One holding the ground so tightly that she could not pull it up!
Holding on!