Still I Carry On.
‘Can’t understand why you’re not more successful, Tim,’ some say. ‘After all that you’ve done.’
‘I can’t believe that I’ve never heard of you and your work before now,’ say others.
Still I carry on.
I created an acclaimed programme for children. Addressing their emotional and mental health needs. Have run it for almost thirty years. Changed the lives of thousands.
‘Why aren’t you and your work more well known, Tim?’
Still I carry on.
There are many social issues that get attention. I guess they’re trendier than mine.
‘You’ve been going longer than them, how come they’re more known than you?’
‘It’s going to happen for you one day.’
Still I carry on.
Shelved at the back of the store. Side-lined, dismissed, overlooked.
‘It’s because the book was about child abuse, and that makes people feel uncomfortable,’ I’m told is one reason.
‘Books regarding Maori are a niche market,’ I’m told is another.
There are always reasons.
Still I carry on
What can I say. I’ve featured in the media, however I am not popular, not sensational. Grateful for the awards, for what I have achieved, but no number one best seller here.
Still I carry on
Not their cup of tea. Too much this, too much that. Just doesn’t fit.
‘You trigger them, make them uncomfortable.’
So many reasons. Rejected, put down.
Still I carry on
Of course it gets to me. I’m not going to pretend that things are easy. We struggle as a family. Grateful to have what we have, but we struggle financially.
Not looking for handouts. Just like to be paid, for all that work, struggle and striving.
Still I carry on.
As a child I was not seen, was not heard. Abused, physically, sexually, emotionally. All witnessed, but not proclaimed. Hidden, avoided. Wondered if I existed at all.
Still I carried on as best as I could.
Today I stand tall. Speak loud and clear. Keep moving forward. One foot in front of the other.
Acknowledge the frustration, the struggle. The let down and the hurt. I don’t whine or whinge.
I have my approval, my acceptance, my love
I raise my head and I carry on
With love
Tim
This article was first published on Facebook and Linkedin September 3, 2021.
Copyright© Tim Tipene, 2021.
