Last Updated on July 21, 2021
It really fills me with admiration to meet people who pursue their dreams despite having the odds stacked up against them.
For instance, just few days ago, I went to search for a harness for my pet dog, Prosper as he is struggling to walk due to one paw being paralyzed and his shoulder was in pain. When I inquire on who can provide advice pertaining the type of harness that I can buy, a girl was called over to see me.
This girl is born with her left hand deformed (not formed with fingers) and the right hand being proportionally smaller than her body. Yet, she was able to offer me very good advice because she is now studying animal nutrition. She must have chosen to work in the place that sells pet items to earn her practical experience. Most of all, she had a lot of empathy and spoke very sincerely from her heart.
She did not let her physical setback stopped her from studying and qualifying with knowledge to equip others to deal with their pets. And being sincere, having empathy and interest in her work, she would be able to earn a good and honest living doing what she loved.
Recently, I’ve also read on The Star about the famous scientist, Stephen Hawking . Long ago as a science student, I used to read about his work and bought the book, A Brief History of Time- even though I do not fully understand the contents but I appreciated the gist of what he had to say about theories of the universe. And yet, at the age of 21 (he was born in 1942), he was diagnosed with a motor neuron disease and was given 2 years to live. This man went on to become a brilliant scientist- termed one of the most gifted man alive. And now, he is almost 70 years old.
Few years ago, I have also briefly learned yoga under Dr Dhilip Kumar– he told us that years ago, he was involved in a car accident- his car crashed straight into the tree. He was told by the doctors that he would never walk again. Never giving up, he find his way to India whereby he studied ayurvedic healing and yoga from the masters for a few years. Today, not only he could walk but you would never suspect from his sturdy built and the ability to execute all kinds of yoga poses that he once had suffered from spinal injury. When he taught yoga to the class, he really went the extra mile and emphasize a lot of breathing to improve oxygen flow to the brain.
No one can actually know for sure how long we get to live or what we can/cannot do. The limitation often is set by ourselves. Here are previous articles that I have written about people who have braved the odds and they become a source of motivation for us:
- Disabled people who made a difference
- Story of a Reformed Rebel (Life Blog)
- AIDS patients who beat the odds
- Lessons we can learn from seniors who work after retirement (Life Blog)
- Keeping the mind occupied and finding purpose after retirement (Life Blog)
- Formerly Obese 220lbs woman now runs in marathons
- An previous heart by-pass patient now cycles round the world
