2022/1/19 #poetry Close, but always just close. Sometimes I really think I'll get there. I wouldn't keep trying if I didn't. The specter of the easy way, days into months into years of everything just being fine is always right there. It truly could be easy if only... if this or that wasn't in the way, knocking us down, filling our tank with sand. It is better than being lost. It is not as bad as feeling stuck. It isn't as nice as having things flow and work out. Just enough frustration to keep the goal one step out of reach. Some people say that's how it is for everybody. That the ones that succeed are just the ones who persist through all that rough weather. It is no guarantee, persistence is only the first prerequisite in reality. Onward then. The only direction is forward. Effort is for spending.