Her Sageliness
Shanell Louis

"Just as the salmon will never give up on their journey upstream, the badger shalt not stop digging." - her Sageliness


I find that humans have so much to learn from animals. The elephants' family values, the spiders' cunning… Even the technical things like how the Disillusionment Charm was invented after much observation of the chameleon, and how broom-makers are now studying the flight of the beautiful peregrine falcon, a wonderous bird of prey. We should really open our eyes to nature; there's so much to see and learn.

One of my favourite animals is the salmon, for its persevering spirit. These fish spend most of their life at sea, but return to their native river to lay eggs. When the time comes, they swim upstream to spawn. The average spawning trip distance is about 150 miles. On the way upstream, the salmon face fishermen, waterfalls, water pollution and more predators. What I find amazing about these animals is that they determinedly make their way to the spawning ground no matter what; they can even climb waterfalls – they swim and leap upward through the strong current using their powerful tails.

Being persevering is one of my strongest beliefs. You have a dream, a goal you want to reach. It's way up there, and you have to climb a distance to get to it, or maybe even just to get to the first foothold. I believe you should keep that dream in your heart and let it motivate you. There will always be obstacles in your path, setbacks that you encounter, bugs that come and bug you. But keep that dream in sight, and never give up. There is no point in letting go halfway – think about it, you've already started! Step by step (or knut by knut, if you're trying to save up for a new broom or something), you will get there. How high you can go depends on how hard you'll try to get to the top: your attitude determines your altitude. The most difficult thing to do, I find, is to get started. After that, it's just hanging in there and knowing you'll arrive at the finish line if you keep going… the longest and hardest journeys started with one small step.

So go ahead and strive for that goal you want to reach. Maybe you want enough money for a new pet, or you want to produce a musical, or you resolve to finish all your homework in time. Whatever it is, keep your goal in sight, and simply hang in there and persevere through till the end. Her Sageliness will be proud of you.


Disclaimer: This article does not mean to change anyone's opinions, it is merely for her Sageliness to share her views about Life, the Universe and Everything. Any consequences resulting from the great thought provokingness of the article is not her responsibility.