Small victories

Sometimes the earth has to shift to make us pay attention. Someone invents something revolutionary; a person we know passes away; one…

Photo credit: Pexels

Sometimes the earth has to shift to make us pay attention. Someone invents something revolutionary; a person we know passes away; one country is invaded by another. These are keystone moments and we latch onto them to navigate our way through each day, mapping them onto the moments of our lives to give context to every experience we have. We use them as landmarks to understand where we are.

But there are also smaller victories — the small steps that lead to greater moments — and it’s too easy to ignore them.

Today I completed the first cycle of Kingdom, my narrative podcast where I am experimenting writing my story in serial form, episode by episode. I’ve now had a moment with each of my five major characters. I’ve only had one episode with each of them, but I’ve met them now: I’ve heard their voices and I’ve seen how they interact with those around them. It’s not much, but it is something.

They’re real to me now.

I’ve put them down on paper.

I’ve recorded them and released them to the world.

They exist beyond the spark that birthed them.

Something exists now that didn’t exist before.

I haven’t finished this story; I’ve barely begun it. But I’ve now completed that first step on the journey and I’m counting that as a victory — even if it’s just a small one.