Eternal Vigilance - If at First You Don't Succeed -

I discovered John O'Donohue a few weeks ago. What a man and a story. He was determined to live his truth, and his legacy lives on in his writings - religious and environmental, his contribution to Gaelic thought, and his poetry.

As I was listening to a podcast from 2007 (he died in 2008 at 52), he said, "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." I just happened to be listening to this on July 2, and of course, thinking of Independence Day.

And yet -

I have been thinking about how tough life is - of course it's beautiful, but even that beauty takes work, and vigilance.

Since cancer - I've worked hard every single day to become healthy and stay healthy. I let my guard down and there is a price to pay.

And my career right now - I'm working hard to stay patient, to stay the course, to be innovative while also being a member of a grand team.

I see folks who surrender to poor health, give in to their anger, resign to never being the same. And they lose their freedom - the liberty they would have to be alive! And yes - being eternally vigilant appears to take a hyper-awareness mindset, yet that is the price that is often needed to sustain the freedom, the liberty and is hard won and hard fought for.

If I let my guard down (doesn't mean I don't have fun), then I lose the freedom I have worked so hard to acquire. I can't do this.

And so I am vigilant with myself, I am stealthily aware of my faults, my weakness, and the areas where I need to spend time refining, every single day.

Me vigilantly caring for my liberty. 

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