Grit

Grit is resilience It is a tiny grain of sand that feels indestructible between your fingertips You squeeze, and crunch, and squash with all your might and still to no avail Despite Herculean efforts that one individual particle remains the same as before you plucked it from the ground and gripped it with foul intentions. One microscopic granule that will neither be moved nor swayed by the efforts of another Every atom that makes up its very nature is unchangeable. Grit is determination It is the feeling that swells from your stomach to your chest when you’ve decided that the acid rain that pours down your back may flay your skin and leave you scarred but it will not be what kills you Grit is confidence When raised tissue is gnarled and angry from the violence it’s endured and all you see is the sight of that road you once traveled You smell the sweet sea salt in the air that healed your wounds You feel the sting and numbing of the ocean waters that cleaned your body and soul and you mumble under your breath with a shiver, “How beautiful.” Because though others may not see it or understand it, while they may think you’re crazy, you know why you stood in that rain. Your mission is not to please others, or to have them understand you but to survive the storm that rips your clothing from your body and splays you out onto the abrasive sand. It’s not them who will have to lay their heads upon a rock that night; who will have to swat away the flies and mosquitos who gravitate towards the blood oozing from your open lacerations Grit is bravery It is bold and courageous. it is the fortitude and backbone in your resolutions. It’s feeling your fingers shake with a stick in your hand to catch that last fish when you’ve never even been to the beach. The understanding that the difference between proficiency and ineptitude is merely feeling your way through the dark until you can see between the shadows that engulf you. Grit is determination. It’s the conviction that runs through your veins and up your spine like molten steel, hardening into the purpose you choose for yourself. The tenacity that looks at the world from above your shoulder and whispers in your ear of all the things you will accomplish before the day is through. It can’t be shattered like hope. it can’t be tarnished like innocence. It can’t be softened or tamed by the weather around you. Grit is more than your armor; heavier than your shield. It’s the spirit that feeds your soul when your body is starving. The poise of your composure when the world is shaking. Grit is the foundation of life. The pluck of your person and what will keep you from being covered by the waves. If ever there was a prized possession that I could not live without, this was it.