Thursday, July 06, 2006

For Anyone Who's Fallen

If I never fell down, if I never scraped my knee, or turned my ankle, where would I be now?

Every little thing that went wrong, every little problem I’ve encountered has been the fiber that has made me. It’s not been the good things that formed me. They are only the glitter. The petals of the flower that soon enough might blow off when a strong wind comes along.

What fun would life be without any fear of falling, without any risk or danger? It would be a walk down some smoothly, silky paved road that went on and on to nowhere. There would be no top, because there would be no very bottom. I would have no hills to climb, no potholes to walk in and out of. Music would be only so much sound . . . because dancing would come so easily, as everything would, if I never fell down.

Falling down is useful. It reminds me that I can still get stronger.

I like being strong, like a flower in the wind that holds tightly to its petals.

Standing strong for anyone who’s fallen to see a reason to get up.
−me strauss Letting me strauss

14 comments:

Trée said...

I like this post Liz. I like the sense of humanity in it, of acceptance, and of compassion. And it reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "Fall down seven times, get up eight."

Sweet dreams when you get that far. :-)

Anonymous said...

If you never fell down, you would never know how to get back up. Your first failure and you'd be a complete wreck.

Anonymous said...

As much as I don't like falling,I've certainly learned a lot about life by doing so.
Liz, your post feels like the outstretched arm of a friend offered to help me get back up.

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Thanks Tree,
I'm not sure what the inspiration was, except that I'm feeling good about life again. I have no particular reason to do so. Maybe it's summer. Yeah that's the reason!

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi Patrick,
So true. If I never got up I could never fall down again . . . :)

If you learn how to fall, like in the circus, you learn how to do it without getting hurt.

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi Dawn,
Goodmorning,
What lovely thing to say. You'll always have my outstretched hand. I hope you always know that.

Anonymous said...

As it is with life, so it is with fiction: no conflict, no story.

~m

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Well put Michael. No conflict, no reason to write good music,
I hope you're feeling better.

Anonymous said...

Hi!

Good morning!

> "...I'm feeling good about life again."


That was good to see!

I could say so much more ... sometimes we just fall down & its simply a matter of getting up, dusting our selves off & moving on - then, at other times, we may fall down a deep hole. Some holes are so deep that it is difficult, sometimes very difficult, to work our way out...

but the main thing is: I was really pleased to see "...I'm feeling good about life again."

---

> "It’s not been the good things that formed me. They are only the glitter."

Here I disagree. I think we always are, and will always be, the result of the sum total of everything that happens to us, everything we experience - both good and bad.


E

Anonymous said...

Without the bad things in life the good become mundane, expected, 'normal'. While they might shape us, it is a soft shaping ... one without character. It is only in the hard times that character is formed.

If a person experiences only the good ... only the easy, then 'mojo shivers' is correct. At the first sign of trouble you will fold in defeat. You won't know what to do as you have no experience to go by.

Parents do their children a disservice by keeping them safe from the harsh realities of life.

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi E.
I would worry if you and I ever agree on three total paragraphs of anything. :) We come together at the core of the matter. That's all that matters to me.
I'm heartened to know you're happy for me.

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi mama.
I know life needs it's hard parts to be life and we need them to be us. You are so right about parents who shelter kids too much. It's so hard to watch a child learn about the sad things in, but it is so much more satisfying than raising a child who has not coping skills

Anonymous said...

Great post. I'm running this off for my children to show them why it is important to let their children have the chance to fall down.

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi Jan,
That is a great compliment. Tell them to send their disagreement letter to me. I'll answer them. :P