A trip into the hills to collect spring water with Mum and Dad: running ahead, growing tired, and carrying the water back. A difficult outing gave perseverance a meaning she could feel.
When I think of “perseverance”, I think of keeping at something without being afraid of difficulties. There is the story of drops of water wearing through a stone, the story of an old woman grinding an iron rod into a fine needle, and the story of Yu Gong moving a great mountain. There is also the time I learned to persevere: when Mum, Dad and I went into the hills to collect water.
I remember Grandpa telling us about a reservoir near our home. Between the reservoir and the hills was a greenway. At its fourth pavilion, Jingxin Pavilion, we could collect sweet spring water. So our family decided to bring home three large bottles and try it.
We arrived at the start of the greenway and began our water-collecting trip. At first I ran very fast and led the way, but I soon grew tired and fell to the back. We reached the second pavilion, Lansheng Pavilion. “We’ve only come this far and your back is already soaked!” Mum said. Hearing that made me feel even more tired, and I did not want to go on. But whenever I thought of the spring water, my feet kept moving forward. After walking for a while longer, my legs began to feel weak. I was not paying attention and tripped over a stone. My knee hurt as if a needle had pricked it. I kept walking through the pain.
By the time we reached Jingxin Pavilion, my knee did not hurt as much. We carried the big water bottles, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and walked back under their weight.
Through this experience, I learned to persevere and understood what perseverance means.