Never Give Up!

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I was at an event this afternoon with several other parents and their kids. It was just an afternoon of fun in the sun and ice cream to celebrate the end of our boys’ championship baseball season.

I tend to be one who sits quietly for awhile, tuning in a “cocktail ear” to a neighboring conversation. Before you cry, “eavesdropper,” I prefer to think of it as the gathering of public information, and from there I shall report on it. After all, if they did not want it to be heard, especially by those of us with incredible hearing, then they should not speak at all!

What I gathered from my “investigation” was that most of these ladies in their 30s and 40s arguably had some bodily complaint or another. I am sure most of it was with good cause, but I still find it amusing. Call me lucky or call me the recipient of blessed genes, but I can scarcely recall a time when I had true physical complaints about my joints and all.

Evidently, the gals in question were discussing their recent workout routines, but the common thread was how “this leg hurt” or “this ankle is sore.” Again, I am not mocking the reality of their situation. What I wish I could bestow upon them is some “grandmotherly advice.” (Not from me…too young to go down that road yet, but from one of my best teachers ever, my grandmother, Kora)

Kora has been keen on physical activity for as long as I can remember. From swimming to cycling to leg lifts, exercise has been a mainstay in her life, and it continues to be! There was never an, “I can’t do that” or “That hurts too much to do that.” She just simply did it! I am convinced that the discipline to do this daily kept the pain away!

In fact, when she was in her mid-60s, she attempted snow skiing for the first time. After she gracefully, and without incident, swooshed down the glistening slope, Grandma raised her poles triumphantly in the air to announce her “victory” to those of us watching her. That victory was soon to be dissolved, as within seconds, some guy without the obvious knowledge of understanding how to stop on skis, plowed into Grandma, sending her plunging to the ground, face in the snow. Long story short, she broke her leg.

Here is the interesting part. Grandma was rushed to the hospital and put through the usual requisite medical drills. By the next day, she was in a cast, but she was walking down the hallway in the hospital with crutches! Even in her mid-60s, this was no excuse to cry out in pain and give up. She simply resumed her activities, temporarily aided by crutches and a cast, but she never used it as an excuse to quit. She has never used anything as an excuse to quit. Heaven knows I have wanted to throw in the towel on occasion with certain things, but when I think about Grandma, and all of the times she might have had good cause to complain, she did not. How can I?

In a tribute to this awesome lady, I want you to see the following YouTube video I have put together. This merely is the tip of the iceberg as far as this gal is concerned. She is the poster granny for motivation, determination and inspiration. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36SACspVO_8

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