Several years ago I was gifted a three-handled loving cup, a tyg. The Arctic Club (now the Explorers Club) presented the tyg to Amos Bonsall in 1907. He was the last surviving member of the second Grinnell expedition of 1853-1855 led by Dr. E. K. Kane in search of Sir John Franklin. In the mid-nineteenth century Arctic explorers were like space explorers 100 years later. Daring, adventurous, and willing to endure hardships, understanding the adventures before them were dangerous.
The gift of the tyg started a quest for knowledge that I have not finished. I've researched Amos Bonsall at the Chester County Historical Society (PA) and found his grave at Fernwood Cemetery near Philadelphia (surprisingly the grave site was in disrepair).
My research took me to the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. In 1915 Bonsall’s daughters donated relics from his Arctic expedition to the U. S. National Museum. Today the National Museum preserves some of these relics. It was my good fortune to examine several of these artifacts.
My take-away for today: Perseverance. How hard it is to continue toward an objective when it seems the environment is against you? At the National Museum I held objects from an Arctic adventure over 160 years ago, an adventure from which not all crew members returned. Disease, numbing cold, hunger. A ship trapped in ice. I held a rifle and a knife, tools for food and protection. I held medals awarded to Americans by a British queen who honored the exploration. Amos Bonsall persevered. He pushed through. Against great odds, he survived and helped others.
When the challenge before us seems insurmountable, perhaps it is time to dig deeper, to try to beat the odds, to be sustained by reflecting on those who have persevered. I was standing in a grocery line with just a few items. No lane was open for 12 items or less. I spoke to a cashier and a lane was opened. A young woman and I moved to the new lane. “Actually I don’t mind standing, “ she said. “Three years ago I was in an accident. I was told I would never walk again. Here I am.” She paid for her items and walked out the door.
Persevering is an attitude, a mindset, doing all that you can to overcome obstacles to achieve a goal. If you have it, great. If not, you can put it there.
Image, © John Ballard, 2012
Modified from my blog of May 30, 2013.
_________________________
Decoding the Workplace “deals with principles and practices that are timeless . . . Is this a must-have for managers and would-be managers? Yes.” Ron Riggio, Book Review, Academy of Management Learning & Education, June, 2018. Now also available as an audiobook and paperback.
The gift of the tyg started a quest for knowledge that I have not finished. I've researched Amos Bonsall at the Chester County Historical Society (PA) and found his grave at Fernwood Cemetery near Philadelphia (surprisingly the grave site was in disrepair).
My research took me to the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. In 1915 Bonsall’s daughters donated relics from his Arctic expedition to the U. S. National Museum. Today the National Museum preserves some of these relics. It was my good fortune to examine several of these artifacts.
My take-away for today: Perseverance. How hard it is to continue toward an objective when it seems the environment is against you? At the National Museum I held objects from an Arctic adventure over 160 years ago, an adventure from which not all crew members returned. Disease, numbing cold, hunger. A ship trapped in ice. I held a rifle and a knife, tools for food and protection. I held medals awarded to Americans by a British queen who honored the exploration. Amos Bonsall persevered. He pushed through. Against great odds, he survived and helped others.
When the challenge before us seems insurmountable, perhaps it is time to dig deeper, to try to beat the odds, to be sustained by reflecting on those who have persevered. I was standing in a grocery line with just a few items. No lane was open for 12 items or less. I spoke to a cashier and a lane was opened. A young woman and I moved to the new lane. “Actually I don’t mind standing, “ she said. “Three years ago I was in an accident. I was told I would never walk again. Here I am.” She paid for her items and walked out the door.
Persevering is an attitude, a mindset, doing all that you can to overcome obstacles to achieve a goal. If you have it, great. If not, you can put it there.
Image, © John Ballard, 2012
Modified from my blog of May 30, 2013.
_________________________
Decoding the Workplace “deals with principles and practices that are timeless . . . Is this a must-have for managers and would-be managers? Yes.” Ron Riggio, Book Review, Academy of Management Learning & Education, June, 2018. Now also available as an audiobook and paperback.
RSS Feed