Monday, May 3, 2010

Repost- The Game of Life

I wrote this back in February and as my brain seems to be in edit mode today, I thought it would be okay to repost another one of my favorite pieces. I never told anyone, but the day I wrote this the Reeve Foundation contacted me and then featured this on their Twitter. I was so proud I can't even tell you! It meant a lot to know that my blog was reaching those that needed it the most. So here it is again- The Game of Life.

I want to speak about Christopher Reeve again, as I've thought a lot about his life and the parallels of his injury to the role he played. He scoffed the idea that he was a real-life Superman, but we would all agree he truly was, in every way a person could be. Of course, every advance he made was earned with immense pain and minute to minute struggle, so to him it wasn't a great, magical thing. It was work. It's all how you look at it: most of us saw the overall result--the end result, but he experienced it as it unfolded.

In life, we often get caught up in what might be rewarded in the long run, forgetting it's what we do now that creates the end result. We're reaching with outstretched hands, skipping over the path. I think of someone playing Monopoly without stopping at any spaces. That person reaches the end faster, but without having played the game, they arrive empty. It is the little things we do every day that makes us winners.

When Christopher Reeve was told his head had been separated from his body--held on only by the muscles of his neck, and that he would have to go through countless surgeries, pain, all that with no promise of ever having movement below the neck again--he looked up at his wife and said, "I guess we should just let me go." And she said to him, "But you're still you. And I love you." Those words changed his life, and brought on a new one.

Every time you feel like quitting anything in your life, or life itself, remember that no matter how difficult things are, you're still you, and somebody loves you. Don't give up. Then take each moment for what it is, knowing it will lead to success.

Life is like a game board. You're riding high, rolling the dice. You own all the squares, have a pile of money, and you know, you just know you're going to win. Then someone hands you a card that says, bankrupt, start at go. It's what you do then that defines who you are. Live like you're always at go.

10 comments:

  1. I have a friend who jumped into a dry swimming pool in the dark, and ended up just like Mr Reeves, except he can breath without ventilation.

    He is a wonderful bloke, and likes to party (and I MEAN party). He also runs a business from home, and I am lucky enough to be friends with a couple of his carers too. I sometimes feed him Guinness from a straw in our pub. He is an inspiration to me, whenever I feel ungrateful about life in general, as I think I would have got on well with him before his accident, let alone now.

    He drives his electric chair with his chin! Impressive.

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  2. I love to hear about people who thrive in adversity. Let's hope stem cell research will advance and offer some hope to their situations, though, we both know they are perfect and usually the wisest, most wonderful people and we love them because of who they are and because their disabilities have made them stronger then we can ever hope to be.

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  3. Yes, true Amy, but I don't think that breaking your neck always guarantees wisdom (unless it prevents you from diving into another dry swimming pool, which was a pretty stupid thing to do in the first place!)

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  4. Well, it doesn't turn you into an instant saint, but it usually makes someone dig much deeper than the usual person has to. And anytime someone has to think beyond the norm, especially when faced with extreme, unrelenting pain, they become—in my eyes at least—a very strong individual.

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  5. Yes, they have 2 choices - give up or carry on. The ones which carry on usually make the best of the situation.

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  6. Live like your always at go... that's amazing!!! You just gave me a ton of inspiration! I feel like I haven't visited your blog in awhile, for that I'm sorry, if I just visited than don't bother reading this I've just lost my mind, LOL

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  7. It's okay Jen. I'm on edit mode and won't be much of a blogger. It's nice to have you here anytime!!!

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  8. Adverstity does tend to create strength in people. Something to fight against (or with) is often a powerful trigger. Again, I know people to whom this could be attributed; the force, that otherwise would have remained dormant in them, wells up from within.

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  9. Amy, that was just beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for making me think about what is important...it sure isn't "stuff."

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