thehardestbattledotcom

“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is trying to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle and never stop fighting.”

-e.e. cummings

Hello and welcome to “the hardest battle”!

I first read e.e. cummings’ poem in an 8th grade religion book and I remember ripping it out and pinning it to my bulletin board at home. All these years later, I still have it … somewhere 🙂 

It isn’t easy to be yourself, and especially now with social media and globalisation turning what we say, what we wear, what we think, and what we do into open game for knee-jerk reactions that can be anything from super positive to super negative without a lot of in between.

I got to thinking that things were so much easier when we “roll with it” … but did that mean that we had to be so laid-back that whatever happened in our lives just rolled right over us? Did that mean being a doormat for others to take advantage of? Or could it mean something else?  Hmmm…..

I gave it some thought and realised that the “R” in roll could stand for respect, the cornerstone for any relationship with yourself and others. The “O” could stand for keeping an open mind. “L” could be for listen – with your eyes and your ears. And another “L” could be for “Learn” — the natural result of keeping an open mind and listening.

Thinking further, the “L” could also mean “Love” another result of living by ROLLing … or “L” could be “Leave”, the result of what usually happens when there is no respect. So many possibilities! (I’m no Archimedes but he did come to mind since I came up with these ideas whilst in the bath. Eureka! LOL)

Since this is my “About Me” page, I guess I need to tell you about myself. In a nutshell, I am a December-born bumbler.  A bumbler who when walking with friends doesn’t walk in a straight line but rather enjoys bumping lightly against the person I’m walking next to.  I occasionally (OK, often) put my foot in my mouth and it’s a challenge sometimes for me to say what I want to say because I just have so much to say and can think of so many ways to say it. Writing is therefore often easier for me!

I hope you enjoy my musings here on “the hardest battle” and will join me in doing our collective best to “ROLL with it” every day!

Sue Marguerite

HONG KONG