This weekend I was invited to share in a new friend’s birthday celebration. At the party I met several of her relatives. One person in particular, a young lady, left a lasting impression. I talked to this young woman for only a little while. But that is all it took for her to leave a lasting impact on me.
This young lady was disabled. I do not know her exact disability but she appeared to have minimal motor control on one side of her body and a speech impediment. She brought up the topic of her disability by apologizing to me if I could not understand what she was saying to me. I assured her that I could understand her. She went on to explain that she was in an accident when she was in the tenth grade that left her disabled. She went on to ask me if I had had the opportunity to finish high school. I responded yes that I had finished both high school and college. Her eyes lit up with excitement at the thought. She also asked me if I had driven myself to the party. I said yes. She went on to explain that she only got the opportunity to practice driving once before her accident.
This young lady told me how she sometimes felt angry and frustrated with her disability because she could remember how she was before the accident. However, during this entire conversation she did not reveal any self-pity. No signs of a woe-is-me attitude. She was cheerful and honest and seemed very pleased at hearing of my having accomplished some of the goals she had had for herself. This young lady was the antithesis of a Joy Thief.
So here I am Chasing Joy when I have so much to feel joyful about. How many things have a taken for granted? A small example, how many times have I complained about not wanting to be the driver when going out with friends? And here is this beautiful young woman excited for me because I have that ability. I do not face any physical or mental obstacles keeping me from my basic needs and goals. I am Chasing Joy without restraint and am thankful for the reminder of what a blessing it is.
What blessings have you taken for granted???
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This is a beautiful post. My best friend had MS, and as it progressed, although it was very hard for me to see her condition worsen and her physical/mental abitilies decrease, she never stopped smiling, never stopped being positive, never stopped being happy and grateful for life. Sadly, she passed away in 2008. Whenever I find myself "chasing joy," I remind myself of her life and her legacy. It helps me to put things into perspective and reminds me to always be positive and grateful.
I'm really really trying to 'chase joy' each day when it's not in my nature to do so, or at least it hasn't been up to this point. I read Yolanda's comment about struggling with ingratitude, discontent and complacency and said "Yes, yes, yes, exactly that," in my head. Thanks for this story, it does provide a good dose of perspective. I'm finding your blog helpful in my struggle to shake off old tendencies, so thanks!
Thans Yolanda. I imagine being a doctor definately give you the opportunity to feel blessed and appreciative as well as appreciated by your patients and their parents.
I am constantly struggling with ingratitude, discontent, and complacency. One of the reasons I love my job as a pediatrician is the privilege of seeing so many lives and the complex struggles that everyone goes through. The trivial. The daunting. The humorous. The grief. Everybody is different, but we all take things for granted at some point or another. My patients definitely provide a reminder to me to stop and look around with a new perspective. I can imagine that this young lady would have been an inspiration to me as well if I had met her. Thanks for sharing.
I'm glad I am not the only one blessed by her presence. Thanks for commenting 🙂
Its really amazing, but I was at the same party and was moved beyond measure by the outlook of this same young lady. She is a true inspiration to me and thank you so much for posting this. We so often take the most basic things for granted like being able to just pull up our own pants. This young lady's outlook on life in general made her seem so wise beyond her years and im personally grateful for having the opportiunity to meet and speak with her.