Perseverance in the Face of Adversity

By: Jennifer Sneeden 04/26/2012

The other day, Max (our sorta-shepherd puppy) and I, were out walking in the rain. Most of the times, I truly enjoy our walks together. This time was definitely a chore. One of those, "Hurry up so we can go back inside" walks. As we rounded the corner of one of the walking paths that wind through our neighborhood, we encountered a 1-legged bird pecking around for the bugs & worms that had surfaced during the rain.

We stopped and watched him for a few minutes. Both of us intrigued, but for very different reasons. I was amazed at the perseverance the bird showed. How it had to do a little hop step every time it bent its head toward the grass. Constantly in motion and yet never giving up.

The bird struck me as symbolic of the struggles of so many of my clients and in many cases, the way they've learned to persevere despite tremendous adversity.

People will often ask me, "Don't you get sick of hearing people's problems all day long?" That couldn't be farther from the truth. What I get to hear each day is courage, hope, strength, resilience. Who wouldn't want to sit around and hear those stories all day?