What being and Armstrong means
People have asked me this question over the last decade, give or take a few months: How do you keep going?
At first I use to give a detailed answer explaining why I don't think there is a choice. Now I just say "Because I'm an Armstrong."
William Lawrence Armstrong Jr, Bill to his friends and Billy to his family, was my dad. For better or worse being an Armstrong meant the following to him:
1. When the going gets tough, the tough keep going.
2. If you don't have a fever, you aren't really sick.
3. If you leave it alone, it will go away.
4. Life is tough, but Armstrongs are tougher.
5. Feeling pain means you are alive.
6. Sacrifices are often necessary in life.
7. You can find the bright side if you look hard enough.
8. Regret is not something to waste your time on.
9. What's done is done. Tomorrow you get to start over.
Maybe it was the fact that he came from German stock but Dad never let life keep him down. He kept getting up and he kept moving forward. He was a stubborn as could be and would rarely admit when something was wrong but if you needed someone to rely on in a pinch, he was your guy. I have always been Daddy's girl and many of Dad's attributes have become mine. When a co-worker asked how I could keep going, given all that was going on in my life I was baffled. I asked her if there was a choice. She said if it were her, she would get in bed and pull the covers over her head. I said that wasn't an option for me. She asked me why and I told her "Because I'm an Armstrong".
I never thought I'd be facing some of the things that have been thrown in my path. I never thought I'd lose people I loved when they were too young to die. I never thought that life would be such a struggle some days. Despite it all, I consider myself an optimist and I continue to believe that tomorrow will be better so I should get up and keep going, no matter how many times life knocks me down. My dad taught me that. Thank you Daddy. You taught me that being an Armstrong meant being strong, no matter what happened. So yeah. I keep going and I keep trying and I'm an Armstrong so lying down is simply not an option. Tomorrow is a new day and things will get better.
At first I use to give a detailed answer explaining why I don't think there is a choice. Now I just say "Because I'm an Armstrong."
William Lawrence Armstrong Jr, Bill to his friends and Billy to his family, was my dad. For better or worse being an Armstrong meant the following to him:
1. When the going gets tough, the tough keep going.
2. If you don't have a fever, you aren't really sick.
3. If you leave it alone, it will go away.
4. Life is tough, but Armstrongs are tougher.
5. Feeling pain means you are alive.
6. Sacrifices are often necessary in life.
7. You can find the bright side if you look hard enough.
8. Regret is not something to waste your time on.
9. What's done is done. Tomorrow you get to start over.
Maybe it was the fact that he came from German stock but Dad never let life keep him down. He kept getting up and he kept moving forward. He was a stubborn as could be and would rarely admit when something was wrong but if you needed someone to rely on in a pinch, he was your guy. I have always been Daddy's girl and many of Dad's attributes have become mine. When a co-worker asked how I could keep going, given all that was going on in my life I was baffled. I asked her if there was a choice. She said if it were her, she would get in bed and pull the covers over her head. I said that wasn't an option for me. She asked me why and I told her "Because I'm an Armstrong".
I never thought I'd be facing some of the things that have been thrown in my path. I never thought I'd lose people I loved when they were too young to die. I never thought that life would be such a struggle some days. Despite it all, I consider myself an optimist and I continue to believe that tomorrow will be better so I should get up and keep going, no matter how many times life knocks me down. My dad taught me that. Thank you Daddy. You taught me that being an Armstrong meant being strong, no matter what happened. So yeah. I keep going and I keep trying and I'm an Armstrong so lying down is simply not an option. Tomorrow is a new day and things will get better.