Overcoming Adversity

Howdy do! Hope everyone had a swell Superbowl evening last night. I slept right through it. lol What can I say, never was a football fan. But anyway, today and tomorrow is the Overcoming Adversity blogfest hosted by Nick Wilford over at Scattergun Scribblings.

Click on the pic above to get to Nick's blog and read all the entries. Today's blogfest is special because it's for a great cause. Nick and his family are raising funds for his stepson to attend a specialist college. (And you should see how adorable Andrew is!) The posts today will be part of an anthology for this cause. How cool is that??

You can still hop on board and post your own as it continues through til tomorrow. Just add your name to the linky list on Nick's blog and have fun helping out with this very important endeavor. But first! Check out mine below.

The topic? A fictional piece on overcoming adveristy. Here's my humble addition:

The Fire

They told her she couldn’t do it. Everyone said it. Silent head-shaking, concentrated glares, even those who flat out said no. They insisted it wasn’t possible. A waste of time. Because she wasn’t good enough. She didn’t have talent. She wasn’t gifted.

She could’ve listened.

She might’ve believed them, and the truth was, it got easier to every time she heard it. I mean, how could she ever compete with the best of the best already out there? Her chances of success were slim, she knew that. And everyone she knew reminded her every time she mentioned her dream.

She could’ve listened.

When she thought about it, it was easy to see her place was not out there. It was buried away, apart from the superstars and winners—her place was alone, out of the public’s eye where she could live a simple, mediocre life. Even the voices in her head told her this.

She could’ve listened.

But there was something else. Something inexplicable! A fire that burned inside. They couldn’t see it. Only she knew it was there. It swelled like a lantern doused with fuel. Impossible to ignore. She tried to tell them the fire existed, but they told her to forget it. “The fire will fool you,” they said. “It isn’t real. Look past it, and know your place in the world. You’re just a girl. There are others more talented.”

She could’ve listened.

And she did.

But not to them. She listened to the fire inside. Embraced it. Made it work for her. She went out into the world and found others like her. They, too, had fire, and they understood. They taught her, and she, them. They taught her about the fire—told her it was drive, explained it’d always be there, and to ignore it, she’d never be whole. They told her she could do it—whatever she worked hard for. That even those without talent could learn. Those ungifted, could purchase it for themselves with perseverance, motivation, and will. They told her the fire would lead her. The fire in her heart.

She listened.

And she made her own dreams come true.    

Thanks so much for stopping by! This short piece--more like a poem--could apply to anyone for anything--does it sound familiar? Have you overcome adversity in some way? Adversity can come in many forms, as with the conflict in a story. Are you your worse adversary? Have you listened to the fire in her heart? Please share ....