what choice do we have? come what may and love it

We joke with my co-worker Mike {an auditor} about how short he is. His head comes up to my midsection, I can't see him over the top of my computer, and he can't reach a lot of things.

Mike is in a wheelchair.

We call him the baby of our office.  He's only 27. 

Mike meets my candid questions with his own candid answers and we had a great conversation yesterday.  I've learned that Mike wrestled in High School and used to tease his wife and her family about how short they were.  He's added that he guesses the joke's on him, he's shorter than they are now.

It made me wonder what happened to put Mike in a wheelchair, and when? Obviously, with his comments, he was already married when it happened. 

So I asked him.  Mike, when did you get to be so short?

Four years ago.  He worked construction, a business he owned with his brothers doing custom log homes.  One day the scaffolding broke underneath him and he fell nine feet.

I thought of West and his falls with ladders and broken bones.  Only with West, it was never his spine.

Somehow Mike managed to compare his wheelchair to my divorce, and the emotional burdens of my previous marriage. 

He said people say to him they don't know how he does it.  But he looks at me, and at his sister who has gone through a divorce similar to mine, and he says he doesn't know how we did it. 

To which I reply, what choice did I have?  I just did it, one day at a time.

He said the same was true for him.  He can do it because what other choice does he have? He said that if complaining would change his situation, he would be complaining loud and clear for the whole world to hear.  But it doesn't change his situation.  So what's the point?  He told me about being in physical therapy and seeing paraplegic patients, and being so grateful for the simple use of his hands.  He told me of his amazing and solid wife and family, who are a great support system for him.

Part of my commute home includes a hill.  Throughout the week I see a man, in a wheelchair, struggling to push himself up that hill.  And my heart breaks.  I want to pull over and help him up that hill.  But then I realized,  he's tackling it on purpose.

I've been thinking about these two wheelchaired individuals all night.  Pondering the conversation with Mike.  Attitude is everything.  It can make you or break you.  And it's completely in your control, even when nothing else is.

Mike said really, we all have our battles.  We all have our struggles.  The only difference is that his are blatantly obvious, where other people's aren't.

I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who blesses me beyond what I deserve.  I'm grateful for an optimistic attitude towards life, and the determination that my life will be amazing, come what may.

And with that I leave this thought on the subject.  I hope you'll read it.
Happy weekend. I hope it's a good one for you and you find all that you're looking for from it.  I know I will.

I'll finally get to see The Muppets.  It's finally at our dollar theater.  Waiting a little longer to see a movie is worth it when I can pay $12 instead of $56 for my circus to see it.

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