“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

                                                            – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Prior to illness, my days were a constant juggle of organizing, planning, teaching, marking, and trying to keep the household ticking along.  Up before dawn, I would start to work even before the kettle for my first tea boiled, and I wouldn’t stop till I could no longer keep my eyes open.

“You work twice as hard as me for a fifth of the reward,” my husband used to say.

I was driven to accomplish, and ten years into a teaching career (I started late in life),  that dream was coming to fruition: being invited to speak to other boards about the work I was involved in.

ME/CFS had other plans for me, though.  My body stopped working.  I went from 100 miles/hour to zero in a matter of days.  Productivity, and the possibility of accomplishment was off the table.  At least that is how it felt.

Four years later, I have regained some of the lost energy and strength, and my perspective has shifted.  Nowadays, accomplishment is that feeling of pride that comes with having done something productive:  with knowing that in some way, no matter how small, I have contributed.

Today, I wrote two blog posts, did a couple of loads of laundry, and completed a painting I had been working on.  Even though I was tired from a long outing yesterday, and I needed frequent rests, I was still able to do something creative and useful.

“It is a mistake to think that moving fast is the same as actually going somewhere.”
― Steve Goodier

These week, let’s focus on accomplishment.  How do we define it, and how often do we stop to appreciate it?  Are we striving for worthy goals, or are we chasing our tails?

Write a post – poem, prose, or photography – that fits with the prompt, and either drop a link to it in the comments below or link back to this page.

I look forward to hearing from you.