I Suppose Anything is Possible!

        There are many possibilities this post may choose to follow.  As usual, I've no idea which one it will choose!

         Today's quote happens to be from someone I admire very much, and I think I might just use the story that surrounds my appreciating it as part of the answer to the question Christine asks after having given it, as has been part of my personal challenge for a while now.  Actually, this is the 40th week of said challenge...that's a lot of challenge!  Go me!

"Once you choose hope,

anything is possible."

~ Christopher Reeve

And her question:

Can you choose to be happy today?

        Somehow I've the feeling that Christine thinks that happiness must be a good theme to use for a book called "Motivational Mondays".  Sheesh!  I mean, what, you want to start off your week in positive directions with something like happiness as your theme?  Are you nuts?  Oh...right.  No, that is a good theme.  Never mind.

        The story attached to this in my mind, happens to be from my college years.  One day I was sprawled out in an uncomfortable chair in one of the campus lobbies, and happened to be spotted by a guy zooming by in his wheelchair.  

        "Don't fall asleep!" he called over his shoulder. 

        "Yeah, because it's so possible in these chairs!" I called back.

        Now, it probably shouldn't have surprised me that he halted in his tracks, spun around and came right back to me, to chat me up!  Perhaps it was my being half-asleep, but it did surprise me, completely.  The details of how we ended up seeing each other for several months sort of elude me, but I suppose all that really matters is that he and I spent a lot of time together, including a fair bit of my reading, to him, inspirational stories about people who had been in situations where they ended up with back/neck injuries, leaving them para- or quadriplegics.  One of these happens to have been Christopher Reeves' autobiography, "Still Me", wherein he describes his accident and what he experienced and learned after it.  

        As I read to this friend of mine, I could sense how he identified so closely with these people whose lives had been dramatically altered by one split second's worth of time that had been the difference between a healthy, "normal" life, and catastrophe that changed it all.  My friend had been cliff diving at a place where he had grown up, and he'd done that dive hundreds of times, as had all his friends and family.  In fact, he'd done it a number of times, that day!  So when he took that dive, he had no reason to expect that anything would be any different than all the times before.

        He dove toward the water, and felt a bit of a bump as he went down into it.  He vaguely remembered being pulled out, and it very soon became clear that he was not okay.  In fact, he wasn't going to be "okay" as he had known it before that dive, ever again.  He had broken the base of his neck, leaving most of his body numb and nonfunctional, except for the ability to use his arms for very basic things, like pushing his chair, though his hands were nearly useless to him.  He could hold a pencil, for instance, but would have to hold it between his wrists to write.  He could use a computer, if he held the erasing end of a pencil to use, to type.  He was having to start over, completely, like a child.  It was devastating and the grief at times overwhelmed him.  

        This guy could have just given up on his life.  He could have just laid in bed and let everything go.  This formerly active guy who was having to learn how to function with a body within which he was trapped, could have become deeply bitter and held onto his anger like a cloak.  I would imagine people around him might have understood, and accepted that it was just the way he would have changed, and lived with it.

        But he didn't.  He accepted that he needed the help he needed, including, when I knew him, a nurse who would come in twice a day, every day, to help clean him and monitor his health progress.  He needed a specialized apartment with accessible options for his ability to learn how to get things like food and water.  He required help with transferring himself from his chair to his couch or bed, and back to his chair, again.  He needed special transportation to get anywhere.  He needed help, and he accepted what help was provided for him.

        Not only did he accept help, he also never gave up the hope that he would be able to become more resilient and capable.  He went back to school to get his GED (high school graduation equivalent), which he was doing when I met him.  He was learning to use tools that were specialized for his needs to adapt to his situation.  He was taking classes in order to learn computer skills, and other occupational skills that would help him find work when he was able to move into the work force.  I deeply admired him for his positive attitude and the strength with which he faced his challenges.  He reflected many of the traits that others have admired in people like Christopher Reeve, whose challenges were more public, but not dissimilar to my friend's.

        I suppose the reason I bring up my experience with this friend, is because he taught me so much about being resilient and strong, even in the face of devastating challenges.  If I were able to contact him, I would love to thank him for that lesson, and the way that it has reflected itself in my life.  There was no way for me to know that my own body would start to leave me in a state that some days leaves me intensely frustrated and discouraged.  It is the people like this friend who have helped me understand that even in the most painful challenges, there is hope for better things.

        What a gift that has been, in my life!  And it has spread itself forward, as I have tried to encourage others to feel, accept and live that kind of example.  Any good that has come of anything I have done as a result of it, he has been, in part, responsible.  This is how our thoughts, words and actions affect the world, my friends!  This is how you can bring light and love to the world, through the little things, every day.

         So, I suppose in answer to Christine's question, Can you choose to be happy today? I can say...yes.  I can choose to be happy, despite whatever is going on in my life.  I can try to see the light, and the hope, and the goals I can make to help me keep going, even when it seems like I might as well give up.  I can work toward better things, and maybe help another person or two keep clinging to hope, too.  Some days are better than others, after all.

        There you go.  Another, hidden treasure for you to enjoy.  I hope it helps.  And as always...

        Better days ahead, my friends!