"People seldom see the halting and painful steps at which the most insignificant success is achieved." - Anne Sullivan

I've notice in my own life how long the arc of learning sometimes is for me. Grappling with difficult thoughts or challenges I sometimes measure in months, if not years, rather than hours or days.

Learning that leads to change is different than memorizing. Collecting "data," testing hypotheses, measuring the thoughts against real-world experience--these all take time.

We are seasonal. We ebb and flow, and like a stream, we cut our course over time.

Learning and change aren't fast, and they aren't easy. Nor do they happen linearly or sequentially. After we've learned, we see the broader patterns and can organize the intermediate steps, but that clarity is after the journey. If we present the linear information and expect someone else to just absorb and memorize, we've robbed them of the struggle to get there--like the caterpillar, it's the strength gained from breaking open the cocoon that is needed to become a butterfly.

There are knowledge stepping stones, which once gained, we can encourage others to accept so that they may climb higher. Theirs is a different, new journey, but it is still a journey nonetheless.