Failure



Failure daunts most people. They try
to avoid it, dread to face the prospect
of sinking into the drowning abyss,
struggling to keep above water.

This feeling of defeat plagues perfectionists,
who desire a flawless façade, who flee
the shame of limitation, who strive
to appear successful in every endeavor.

Yet failure can be a teacher, instructing us
to go in a different direction, to search
for a new path, to develop a hidden talent,
a burgeoning gift ready to be opened.

To fail is to be human, to know ourselves
as creatures learning through experience,
to unearth the lessons meant for us 
to discover at the opportune time. 

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