Hi, how’s it going? Hope you are doing well.

I was just talking to a friend of mine. They had an unusual experience getting to the train station the other day. First they got given bad directions, so they missed the last train of the night. Then, the next morning, they looked up online where the train station actually was, and discovered it was five miles away from where they were at.

Here’s the catch: by the time they got done paying for the difference between yesterday’s ticket and today’s, they didn’t have any money left for bus fare to get to the station! So they decided they would walk.

Five miles! Can you imagine? And, to make matters worse, it was through country roads in 90 degree weather. So they made sure they had plenty of water with them, and headed off to catch their train.

Throughout their trip, they kept having to step off the road when a car passed by. They were stepping off into grassy areas filled with tall weeds. Then they came across a piece of road kill that unnerved them. It was a snake! All this time they had been stepping off into tall grass when there were snakes present!

But still they kept going. They had to catch a train, after all.

By the time the five miles was up, they were so dehydrated they had a headache and their eyes were aching. They had been sweating so badly, they had to smell by that point. And their legs hurt, to say the least.

But they made their train, and they got home safely. 14 hours of sleep later, they were fine. And now they’ve got one heck of a story to tell!

The point of all this is, they didn’t let anything stand in their way. They kept persevering despite everything that kept going wrong. This is a hard thing to do, but I think it’s worth it in the long run.

There is a phrase: The end justifies the means. Basically what that means is that the rewards you get from persevering make whatever you persevered through worth it.

As bipolar supporters, or people who have bipolar, we have to persevere through a lot of things. It can be easy to just give up. But here’s something to remember: If my friend had just given up halfway through the journey, they would have either have had to walk all the way back, or they would have been stranded.

It is the same for us. We’ve already come this far, why would we want to waste our progress. Besides, there isn’t really anywhere to go but forward. Going back isn’t a good option. Staying in the place you’re in right now doesn’t make any sense at all.

But if you keep moving forward, eventually it will be worth it. Keep the end in mind as you keep going. Remember that your goal is recovery, and when that goal is reached, a better life will follow.

Doesn’t that make it worth everything? I think it does. And I think that you’ll find it does, if you persevere until you get there. What ways can you persevere in your struggle with bipolar disorder?

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave