Being a warrior is a call to walk a deep and meaningful life. It is a call to not give up, to not give in, to lift up our heads and keep walking. A warrior may be engaged or experienced in warfare. It can also be a person engaged in some struggle or conflict.
I Must Continue to be a Warrior
One thing I have learned is that I must continue to be a warrior. This is not a warrior in the sense of picking up a gun or a sword, throwing rocks at dragons or building forts. This is about being a warrior in life.
“Be a warrior, Annie,” I tell myself. Continue to fight the good fight.”
I have fought many wars in my life. I have overcome adversities, as so many others have. In the midst of this I am again reminded that there is an idea that suffering is either “deserved or not deserved”.
When my cataract surgery changed from a normal type of surgery with a very high success rate into a series of ongoing pain, surgeries and years of eye trouble, I heard over and over again from loved ones and well meaning ones, “You don’t deserve this.”
My response was often only spoken in my head, “That which is happening isn’t a matter of deserving or not, it is a part of my life. This is my journey and I am in the midst of it now. And in order to succeed, I must continue to be a warrior.”
I don’t know all the reasons for what happens to us. When there are “gifts” to be gained from these situations, I let them show themselves, rather than looking for them or forcing them out.
After all these years I still don’t know why some lives are met with struggle and others are seemingly not. But “easy” doesn’t equate with “good”. At least, not in my life. Being a warrior is a call to walk a deep and meaningful life. It is a call to not give up, to not give in, to lift up our heads and keep walking.
Our weapons of war are truth and encouragement and courage in strange places. It’s being able to see with new eyes and learn from uncommon sources. It’s about learning to sing even when you don’t think you have a great voice and picking up a piece of hope from the side of the road and putting it into your pocket and holding onto it, even when all apparent circumstances would scream at you to give up.
And yet, you don’t. And you won’t because you are a warrior. We are all warriors. We stand to face this day, yet one more time. We walk in beauty and we walk in compassion, both towards ourselves and towards others.
My daughter, Chelsea, brought the painting of the Masai from Africa for me. It is a powerful reminder because the Masai have a reputation of being fierce warriors. The Masai are never seen without their sharply honed spears. They are known for their bravery and courage.
(c) Diane Mathias
Originally published in 2015, revised November 2020
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