Life Lately {Being Inspired}

About a month ago I was blogging one morning with Katie Couric's talk show on the tv in the background. I know, I know. Silly talk shows. But I have to work with some kind of white noise or I can't focus. I overheard that it was a show called Unstoppable Women. There was a woman who's name is Alana Nichols. She is a paralympic champion who refuses to be defeatwd by the snowboarding accident that cost her the use of her legs. That day I saw the interview I quickly scribbled a draft about her and her amazing spirit to trigger my memory later so I could write more about her soon. I just found that draft a few days ago and remember how much I wanted to share her story.

On this day I remember being so focused on my own physical ailments from the car accident, thinking woe is me! Woe is me! Her story brought tears to my eyes because when she described what she had been through, the struggles she had faced, well it made me and my bum knee and broken wrist look like small potatoes.  Not only did she break her back at 17, her brother was murdered later on in her life. What she was saying in this interview caught my ear and made me stop what I was doing. She said she would break her back 50 times over to have her brother back. Bam. Perspective. 

She said what had gotten her through it all was her faith. Was that her belief that God had a bigger plan. That He has something specifically planned for her. I just remember crying when she said that because here was this girl that couldn't walk but was looking fabulous on the red carpet and taking charge of life. She started participating in two new sports: sit ski and wheelchair basketball. She didn't give up.

Here I was wanting to give up because my knee wouldn't get better and I was in an arm splint. Wah. It was eye opening to say the least. Alana's situation is permanent. She said she was in denial for a long time. Plus she was only 17 when the accident happened. When you're a teenager you don't even think past next week much less the rest of your life. I resolved to get dressed everyday and quit wallowing in self pity. If she can get dressed for the red carpet then I can put on some damn pants ya'll. 

She's won like gold medals and stuff. Definitely an unstoppable woman. She has said before that she is an athlete first and competes to win because that's just who she is, not because she is trying to be inspirational as a disabled person. 

I love her sense of style! She knows how to look fabulous!

I got some xrays done last week on my wrist and it has healed! No longer broken! So I will start Physical Therapy to get my range of motion back. My knee is slightly better but still sore and tender. But I don't have to wear my brace as much. I'm going to wear it today because I need to paint and squatting up and down is one of the things that hurts my knee. See? Small potatoes!