One More Step

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“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
– Thomas Edison

At first glance, these words appear reassuring. However, a more careful examination reveals a deeper truth: they do not guarantee success, but rather recognize the reality of struggle.

Trying again doesn’t always come with boldness or resolve. At times, it arrives quietly, without confidence, and far from certain. It may feel hesitant, even exposed, taking shape in solitary moments where effort continues in the shadow of doubt, and where no clear outcome is promised. Yet, there is weight in even the most faltering attempt. Its value lies not in the assurance of success, but in the quiet insistence that the effort itself holds meaning.

Living with Detours

Living with cerebral palsy or any disability rarely means walking a straight path. Progress winds through switchbacks and detours, over terrain that shifts without warning. Switchbacks, the zigzagging paths used to climb steep ground, symbolize how forward movement often requires turning back, changing direction, and finding new ways up when the way ahead isn’t clear.

Some days, even the simplest task can feel like a summit. On those days, trying again isn’t about chasing success. It’s about choosing to move forward, even without knowing where the path leads.

Edison’s words resonate not because they ensure triumph, but because they honor the reality of the struggle. They reflect the truth that success is often less about brilliance and more about persistence.

The Weight and Worth of Trying

Trying again doesn’t always feel meaningful. It can be tedious. It can be frustrating. It often demands effort without any promise of change. It means confronting the same barriers—and choosing to persist anyway. It means refusing to let failure define the ending.

Participation, inclusion, and advocacy demand more than hope. They require a sustained, often invisible commitment. They ask us to show up repeatedly, even when the way forward is uncertain. They call for the determination to develop and share a voice—especially in spaces where that voice has long been overlooked.

This work is rarely about individual recognition. It is about pursuing outcomes that serve entire communities. Even when progress is slow, and acknowledgment is rare, the act of continuing holds its own quiet power. That steady, often unseen effort carries intrinsic worth. It communicates something more enduring than praise: it says we matter, and so does the work.

Creating Lasting Connections

We often speak of building bridges—between people, ideas, and lived experiences. Every choice to connect, to listen, and to include strengthens those bridges. Every decision to try again reinforces the belief that change is not only possible but necessary.

These small, sustained efforts are more than personal milestones. They push back against apathy. They quietly resist indifference. Whether it’s advocating for accessibility, challenging outdated perceptions, or simply making it through a hard day, it is the belief behind the effort that fuels change.

The Power in Persistence

Endurance begins where certainty ends. It continues without reward and without any promise of success. Persistence advances through the unknown—silent, steady, and often unseen. Its truth is simple: the path was never abandoned.

In the most uncertain moments of the journey, Edison’s words do not insist. They arrive as a quiet reminder—to try again, to hold on, to keep going. They whisper that effort still matters, even when no one sees it. Each hesitant step becomes part of something larger, shaped silently through struggle and resolve.

These moments of trying again are more than personal victories. They become acts of connection, quiet resistance, and unwavering belief. Each one forms a quiet revolution. This revolution is not driven by spectacle, but by the steady, deliberate choice to keep going and to shape a new way forward. Even when the way is unclear, one more step still matters.

Keep walking. The path is made by it.

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