Anyone can reach a moment—whether in work or in the grip of hardship, while striving toward some goal—when the weight becomes too much. "Enough," we say. "I'm done, this is impossible." Or: "I've achieved what I'm going to achieve. It's not what I wanted, but I have to accept it." And so we settle for what little we've managed, or we resign ourselves to outright failure.
This exhaustion, this urge to stop trying, comes often and understandably to parents, teachers, and friends working with young people who face real difficulties. How many times have we said: "I've tried everything, worked so hard, followed advice from so many people, and yet... I can't keep him calm... he won't be with others... he won't focus on anything... he won't break that habit..." Or we console ourselves: "At least he's better than before. He's made some progress. What more can you expect?"
All of this may be true. Sometimes you genuinely cannot do more, and each of us knows how hard it is to accept serenely what we cannot change. But other times—after one more attempt, or by chance, or when circumstances shift—something beautiful happens. The young person who rejected our invitation a thousand times breaks through the barrier. He crosses a threshold we thought impassable. He learns a new skill. He speaks a word. He stops screaming. He accepts a peer. He walks without help.
Yes, we must recognize that these things do happen. That sometimes, just when we've lost hope, a situation changes. A difficulty dissolves. And then we want to fight and believe again.
This is why this new column is called "Try Again, Try Another Way." It is an invitation not to tire, to seek fresh solutions for even small progress, to never think after a first improvement that nothing more is possible.
Under this heading, we want to publish different stories—lived and told by many of you—that witness these small and large victories. Stories that teach us hope, the strength to refuse surrender, the courage to try new paths always, so that every young person in our care can walk his own road, giving all that he is given to give, knowing and experiencing all that he is permitted to know and experience.
This page is waiting for your story to become a regular column.
Write to us at ombreeluci@gmail.com