On-by - Keeping On

I found this, "On-by is a command to keep going, to ignore the thing distracting you," in "The Letters." A novel by Luanne Rice and Joseph Monninger.

The book is a collection of letters, written to each other, by the two main characters in the book. The couple had lost their young adult son, their only child, in a tragic plane crash in Alaska; when starting on a new phase of his teaching carrer.

Sam and Hadley were having trouble keeping on, in adjusting to this most difficult occurrence in a formerly happy life. They couldn't seem to deal together with what they both felt, and a division crept in; with a separation as the result.

The father felt compelled to visit the place where his son had died. To reach the crash site, it was necessary to make part of the trip by dog sled. The above command, he learned, was one given to the sled dogs to keep them going without stopping.

The mother, an artist, left home too. She moved to a rather remote village in Maine, where she once again took up painting. The letters allowed them to put their thoughts and feelings into words that sometimes hurt, provoked thoughtfulness, brought back glimpses of a happier time, and in the end produced a good result.

I like the idea of this command: On-by, or keeping on is something we all have to do in circumstances we can't change. We may, or may not do that well; and sometimes, less well than others.

In other, less drastic circumstances, where you are trying to reach a particular objective; I think this command would be a good thing to bear in mind in holding possible distractions at bay.