I was having a conversation with a friend of mine once.  I’ve known this person for over a decade.  He has seen the ups and downs, the highs and lows.  At some point in our conversation we started talking about what makes someone mentally tough.  When we think of tough we automatically think of one of those bruisers from the cartoons, of a guy seven foot tall with thirty eight inches and a chest and shoulders powerful enough to stop a tank.  In this case, my friend was asking about the state of the mind.  How could anyone endure the difficulties I have been experiencing with my daughter.

My daughter requires 24/7 care and supervision.  My wife and I have been doing this for almost four years as of this writing.  We haven’t flinched from it and we haven’t given up from what has happened with our daughter.  She has Autoimmune Encephalitis and as debilitating as this disease is, we recognize how tough we are.  I often explain to my friends the words of Marcus Aurelius who was a well known stoic as well as one of the better Emperor’s of Ancient Rome.  M.A. wrote – “You should spend one night a week going to bed hungry, sleeping on a cold hard floor without a blanket.  In this way you will be prepared for when times are bad.” – Or words to that affect.

He recognized that things weren’t always going to be great – or bad.  Here we have Marcus Aurelius telling us two thousand years ago or so to find TRUE GRIT – and I don’t mean the movie nor Rooster.

Some food for thought for you!