Perseverance is a beautiful brutality.

It's 3 a.m. on a work night, but I've had my second cup of coffee and well, I rarely drink coffee, so I'm feeling inspired and energized to return to my neglected blog.

I've been up studying since 10 for a test on the anatomy of muscles and articulations, right down to the filaments that cause muscle contractions. It's fascinating. And grueling. And it's moments like this when I start to wonder if I made a big mistake. What am I thinking?

The luxury of free time is foreign to me at this point. I haven't even been able to step foot back in the therapy gym, which pains me. My husband is living and working two states away, and I've battled a monstrous sinus infection, herniated disc, and stomach ulcer this semester. I've had to step down from a position at work that I worked my butt off to earn and loved enough that it made me think about quitting school right then to keep it. I've had to cut back on freelance work. What am I thinking?

Am I sure I can do this? I keep getting asked this question by observant skeptics. How am I going to excel in physical therapy school, or even get in, when I look like I've seen the losing end of a bar brawl with this semester?

Honestly, I don't know. I have no idea what my schedule will be like next week, much less how it will be manageable when (when, not if) I get into the DPT program. I have no idea how I'm going to pull off an A on my test in a few hours, much less an A in both classes this semester. But I do know this: I have a tendency to surprise myself. Of course, my faith plays a crucial role in empowering me to persevere, so persevere I will. Why? Because that's what I'll ask my patients to do every day that I go to work as a therapist. They will have to persevere through the challenges that they face in their own lives. So why shouldn't I have to as well? One has to be a conqueror in order to inspire others to conquer. I will be right there with them, cheering them on because I know what it's like to face a mountain and feel overwhelmed. But by the end of this, I'll know what it looks like on the other side.

Challenges can sprout substance. Perseverance grows it.