Keep Going by Edgar Guest
Published in the Detroit Free Press (March 4,1921). This poem is now in the public domain.
Note: Last 2 weeks, I noticed that my efficiency had gone down; I wasn’t hustling till the end of the day like weeks before and started going home early after just getting the necessary stuff done. Then, I put EVERYTHING aside on the weekend. Just sat in my chair, sipped on tea, and took a walk. Anxiety and guilt hit me at first for doing nothing when I had a mountainous to-do list. But I connected with the peace of God and asked myself for answers, as I sometimes get confused about my choices. I dreamt of a straight and uphill road staring me right in the face. Woke up calm, fresh, and ready to run. I realized I have more than most: good food, purpose, friends, family, clear tasks, and challenges to face. Now we're back on the road, running, hustling, living.
This poem reminds me of how important proper rest is. Sometimes you should turn off the music, throw away that phone, and just pay attention to the silence. Been reading Mike Tyson’s autobiography ‘Iron Ambition’; Cus D'Amato who was more like an angel than just a trainer for Tyson, had this poem framed on the gym wall.
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
And the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than it seems
To a faint and faltering man.
Often the struggler has given up when he
Might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems afar.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit.
It's when things seem worst that
You musn't quit.
by Edgar Guest
https://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=1820
