Through winter, spring, summer, and fall, its blades refuse to let go of their knotted roots in the ground. Grass is a peculiar plant that must endure harsh conditions. We walk on it, we run on it, and we sit on it. In the fall, layers of dead leaves, brittle and crunchy, lay down on the grass. Then we rake the lawn, scraping an array of pointy wooden pieces across the grass.

In the winter, careless snowflakes vacation on the grass. They cover it in a glistening, freezing white blanket. After a blizzard, children race out of the house to make snow angels and snowmen, stomping on the snow and squishing it down until the grass beneath gasps “Help! I can’t breathe!”

But when the snow turns to water and drips down the soil or runs to the rusty storm grates on the street, the grass persists. It’s still there. It’s still green.

Through sweltering summers and subzero winters, it sustains. Grass may dry and yellow during a scorching, arid summer, but it comes back to life with just a little help: a rain shower, a sprinkler system, or a return to cooler days.

Its secret? Perseverance. In good, bad, or ugly situations, grass always does its best to keep growing. In fact, it’s so eager to touch the distant planets and stars that homeowners must mow their lawns regularly.

In a way, it’s like me. Although I certainly don’t suffer as much as grass does, I do face challenges that affect my plans to achieve my goals. Sometimes I feel limitations, and there’s little I can do to overcome them. But I will never stop trying because I will only feel like I failed when I find myself wishing I had done more to succeed.

One day, grass will see a better day and find its way high into the deep blue sky. Only then will it feel satisfied. Until that day, it holds on tight to its ambitions, never forgets its capability, and stays focused on the end goal.