I was able to twist my husband’s arm today, and he agreed to write a post on an idea he’s been contemplating. He has these great thoughts and analogies on grief and more importantly, on an ability to make lemonade out of the lemons of life. I hope you enjoy his story as much as I have!
A story of 2 men, both loved to run. Each of them lost a leg in separate accidents but they chose very different paths after their loss.
First man was devastated by the loss and struggled with the realization that he must go on with just one functional leg. He mourned the fact that he may never run again. Every morning he woke up and had to face the fact that he couldn’t hop out of bed without the help of a crutch. His doctor tried to convince him that there were alternatives out there but it was too much to think about. How could he ever say goodbye to the leg he lost and replace it with a mere prosthetic. He knew it would never be the same and he could never run like he did before. Some of his friends encouraged him to give it a try but some of them completely understood why he chose not to. Weeks turned into months and months turned into years. He learned to cope with one leg and a crutch. He stopped running but life went on. He was able to take up new hobbies and find some joy in things he wouldn’t have before. He still woke up each morning but was reminded of his loss as he looked down and was forced to relive his tragedy every time he reached for that crutch. His crutch was a constant reminder that he couldn’t do it on his own and that he wasn’t the man he once was. Running was not an option and now, it was just too late to try something new. He knew he had accepted a mediocre life but he had wrapped his mind around it and that’s just the life he must live.
Second man was also distraught but his struggles quickly turned to determination. He chose to see past the setback and immediately began seeking out his options. Many of his friends thought he was in denial and tried to convince him to wait and wrap his mind around his problem before he jumped in to such a drastic step. He didn’t care what they thought and sought out the best prosthesis he could find. He was surprised to find out that there were numerous options and his toughest decision was choosing which kind. He never even considered not running again so that was his utmost deciding factor. He went with the near bionic prosthetic that almost looked robotic. It was beyond difficult to adjust to walking on this metal leg that his body seemed to reject at every turn. He felt like he was a baby learning to walk again. To say it was frustrating was an understatement but he wasn’t known for giving up easy. He fought with it for weeks and even months but he didn’t give up and knew he was being given a second chance. As he learned to walk again he was faced with pain he could have never imagined and days that his prosthetic was thrown across the room in aggravation. He pushed through despite the pain and regardless of the setbacks and just two years after his devastating loss, he ran his first mile without any help. He was adjusting to his new leg and could see the possibility of a marathon in his future even though he had never run one with his two God given legs. He chose not to accept mediocre and strived to embrace a better life.
His loss was the same as the first man but his life was different. He looked past his dilemma and saw hope.
Two men, two losses, two very different endings… which one are you?
Just keep livin’
