Learned, in Spite of Myself

May 09, 2006 08:20

I was reading a weblog, maybe a year ago (link later, no - now!, *happy dance*); the topic was depression (later edit -- it was actually about something else, but depression figured highly in a way I self-identified ), and it was titled, "Fall down seven times, get up eight."

I was so charmed by this saying, that it made immediate entrance into that magpie collection of concepts I refer to as "mental furniture," stuff my mind rests on when, well, it needs to rest.

In my morning fog, I decided to try and look up the phrase - after all, you never know what you might find.

What I found was a big treat - what I did not know, was that this saying is Japanese! "Nana korobi ya oki" 七転び八起き。Squee!!

Apart from the general squeeing, though, what I like about this saying is the taste of encouragement without prejudging one's value, especially in having to try so hard at a thing in the first place.

Thanks for stoppin'.
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