Dad wisdom #3

My day was ridiculously busy today. I jumped from one thing to another with little time to plan and carry out my 'something new'. So today my something new will be to share some more of my dad's wisdom.

My dad and I used to do a lot of bonding in the car back when I was in first year of uni and still on my L plates. Some days when I'd wake up after a long night of minimal sleep due to my uni work load, he'd drive me while I slept.

One particular day, we were chatting again about how hard it was to get into med. My dad was doing his job of encouraging me to not give up and this is what he said to me:

During tough times people will sometimes say to you that "there will be a light at the end of the tunnel". Life can sometimes be that long and dark tunnel, but it may not always be a straight tunnel that you walk through. Life is like a tunnel that goes up and down with big twists and turns. When we're going through a difficult time and we're not seeing the end of the tunnel, it doesn't always necessarily mean that we're far away from it, sometimes, that light, that end of the tunnel is just around a sharp bend; but if we stop walking through that dark tunnel, then we'll never turn the corner and see the light.

Dad told me not to give up because I might actually be closer to reaching my goal than I thought. 

If all you see in front of you is dark, keep going because your light could be just around the corner.

Photo from here

So on another note, I did two new things yesterday. Not only did I make the vegan hot cross buns, but I also ran around the lake near my house without stopping for the first time. I dragged my brother along with me. He's only ever walked around the lake a few times, and this was his first attempt at running the whole way. 

The little champion is always full of surprises. It's taken me years to become fit enough (and to have the psychological motivation) to run the whole way, but for him he already had what it takes. There was one period of about 20 seconds where he got too tired and started walking because he was starting to feel sick (please don't think I'm a bad sister for pushing him so hard to the point of feeling sick!). However, when he started running again I told him that he didn't have to if he felt sick. He turned to me and said "No, I'll try". 

You could hear that determination in his voice.  I'm so proud of that boy.What a trooper! I hope he continues to keep on trying in all aspects of his life. I don't know what path he'll walk in his life, but I know for certain that I'll be there to guide and support him. And of course my dad will be there to share his wisdom.