..."And then with a cry from his soul despairing,He bowed him down to the earth and wept.But a voice cried aloud from the driving rain;“Arise, old man, and plant again!”

This week, I’m reading a poem, Disappointed, written by Paul Laurence Dunbar, published in 1913.

Reflection question:

• Is there an area of your work where you have been disappointment and you need to stop and weep before moving forward?

Reflection on the quote:

This week, something sad happened with a nonprofit in my community. Often, I focus on the positive side of generosity. Yet, with generosity, sometimes there is a pain. It’s a pain that comes from striving for good and giving generously and yet seeing our work swept away.

When we face times of disappointment, it is easy to respond in two ways. To give up and walk away from our work. We may walk away physically, leaving our job or volunteer position. Or, we walk away emotionally, no longer truly engaged in our work. The other way we can respond is to push through and act as though the disappointment didn’t happen. Unfortunately, disappointments build up and we can’t keep pushing without burning out. This poem gives a third way. Acknowledge the disappointment and pain. And then allow your soul to despair and weep. But, then have hope and arise again to your work.

This work has entered the public domain.

What do you think?

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Music credit: Woeisuhmebop