inspiring

Defying Limitations!

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After a wonderful church service yesterday our family made our way to a meet and great area of our church; coffee, tea, and snacks. This is designed for folks to interact between or before the service they have attended. Somewhere within a 15 minute period I turned and saw my one year old grandson Holden looking quite fascinated with a lovely woman in a wheelchair, minutes later his sister Scout joined him as this lovely, kind woman began to talk with our little ones in loving tones and kind gestures. I was fascinated by seeing that what drew them to her was the wheelchair, what kept them there was just who she was. This lovely woman didn’t appear to act like she saw her wheelchair as if it was a limitation.

It’s been almost 10 years now since I worked part-time at a wonderful local Athletic Club in my hometown; within the building there was a well-run Physical Therapy practice.   Jordan was my friend; he came into the club 2 times a week to do swim therapy in the indoor pool. Jordan was a quadriplegic and his wheelchair would forever be his mode of transportation.  Jordan was so kind, so funny, so motivated to live a normal life. I remember watching him faithfully ride the local bus to the Club, being lowered into the pool and making every effort to stretch and move his tight muscles. Jordan worked a full-time job at our local theater taking tickets and welcoming those who attended; he did it all from his wheelchair. I was especially intrigued when he excitedly shared with me that he had just won a Bocce Ball tournament in another city!! Bocce Ball in a wheelchair? I am convinced that Jordan did not see his wheelchair as a limitation.

My precious mother is in her 80’s and she is not only an amazing woman, she is a gifted artist.  Because she is so passionate about art she has spent well over 20 years teaching children and adults to find their inner artist.  My mother also has Scoliosis and is in pain every single  day.  She never whines.  Week after week she prepares her studio for her students: setting up art supplies and cleaning up after all of her budding artists.  She could easily quit and most people with that kind of chronic pain probably would.  I can see that my mother has not allowed her limitations to stand in the way of her passion.

How often do we limit ourselves to do or be all we can be? How often do we see our challenges as overwhelming and we simply give up on our dreams? How often do we say “no” when , if we had some real fire in our bellies, we could achieve so many impacting things without letting our limitations take us out of the game!!

Do we give up too easily? Do our limitations overwhelm us or convince us we cannot continue to challenge ourselves and grow? To be honest I really think many of us do.

Can you think back to stories you have heard of people who have faced incredible adversity: loss of limbs, finances, family, home, or health and have persevered and caused you to tear up when you hear their brave, triumphant story? Haven’t you walked away thoroughly inspired?

What is your limitation? What stops you from pressing forward in your life? Do you think you might be giving in too easily? Do you think you might be lacking tenacity and perseverance to run your race with all your might? If so, what can you change today? How can you get fired up to move beyond those things that have held you back?

I encourage you to take a fresh look at your challenges. I encourage you to be brave and move forward in spite of them. I encourage you to live in fresh freedom!

“Only acknowledge your limitations for the purpose of overcoming them!”

Randy Gage

Sometimes we just need something Sweet~

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Last week my heart felt so heavy as I watched and heard about so many devastating events that caused death and sadness to countless people in many parts of the world. I watched the news in the morning and listened to the news while in my car while out doing a few errands. I could feel the weight of the concern on my heart.  I prayed. I cried. I prayed again.

Sitting at a traffic light a young Jr. High boy, riding on a scooter, stopped at a cross walk, he pushed the button and when he did he noticed an older homeless man a little way up the sidewalk.  Without hesitating, this young man pulled out his wallet, grabbed $20.00 dollar bill and handed it to the homeless man.  He turned, jumped on his scooter and headed across the street to the other side.

That little sweetness lifted my heavy heart.

I like to treasure hunt, when I can, at our local Goodwill.  This particular day I heard one of the employees loudly say ” Hey, there’s the birdman.” Then I watched a wonderfully kind interaction between them.  The “Birdman” was a tiny, hunched over, toothless man who comes into Goodwill to find bird houses.  In his hand was his treasure for the day ~ a bird house made completely out of rocks~ he was beaming!

As I made my way through the store I looked up and only the “birdman” and I were alone in the  same aisle.  He walks my way, puts his hand on my shoulder and says “honey, have you ever imagine the stories that the old items in this store could tell?  Stories of joys, memories, sadness, and celebrations?  Isn’t life precious?”   and he walked away.

That little bit of sweetness lifted my heavy heart!

Sometimes we just need something sweet, something precious, to remind us to appreciate our lives and the people in it.  I was grateful to have experienced these “sacred moments”.

In the midst of reports that break our hearts let’s not forget that there are still multitudes of precious, good people! 🙂

I wish you “sweetness” today.

Uber ~

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It’s a new day.   Things are changing all around us! Some changes are challenging but some changes are kinda “cool”.  My husband and I went to the Bay Area last week; we grabbed Uber from the Airport and stayed at an Airbnb…how’s that for “cool”!! 🙂  As a woman over 50,  I am having fun trying out the many new ways to do traditional things….like taking a taxi and staying in a hotel.

I have used the Uber service many times over the past year, the service is VERY convenient and affordable, but what I have loved the most has been the drivers I’ve gotten to know each time.  Many Uber drivers only drive part-time because they work full-time jobs; their Uber service helps them pay off bills, save for family vacations, etc. And each driver has a unique story:

….Abram from Israel worked hard to bring his aging parents to the USA and cared for them diligently until they passed away. He would drive to provide for his family and to be able to make travelers days so much better. He said he was always missing the food from Israel but was so grateful for the life he has been able to build for his family here.

…..Jose’ drives full-time so that he can be flexible to care for his children because his wife is going through Chemo for Breast Cancer.  He starts doing Airport runs around 4:30, drives until his family needs him, and then gets back on the clock later in the day to provide so his wife will not feel the pressure to go back to work right away. He works selflessly to take good care of his family.

…. John from the Philippines was sponsored to come to the USA by his mother. He will officially be a citizen in just a short while.  He has been here working day and night in an effort to bring his family here (wife and 2 kids) to the USA as well~ they have been separated for 3 years. We asked him why he is fighting so hard to bring his family here and he expressed that He loves being in America and is so grateful for the opportunities available.

….Jill is an artist and works alone, at the end of her day she will pop ” on the clock” and drive for an hour or two because she loves to meet new people and hear their stories; she gets her inspiration from this! Jill lives alone so she thotoughly enjoys the opportunity to have engaging and interesting people, keeps her from feeling lonely.

We all have a story and people do want to tell their stories.  Amazing stories can be found in the most surprising places ~ like the back seat of an Uber Vehicle ~ IF we are willing to ask and listen.  (After exiting the vehicle I generally wonder if I should hug the driver because they have shared who they are so openly with me…..but I refrain.)  I have been encouraged by the brave, hardworking, tenacious, and interesting drivers I have met! So glad I asked them to share their story.

Whether on a plane, in a tax (or Uber), or just standing in a long line at Costo~ could there be someone who would love to tell their story if only someone would ask?  Is there inspiration waiting right around the corner if you could just choose this simple expression, ” So tell me about yourself?”  🙂

 

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