I’ve been coming across stories about people who have overcome very intense life challenges.  I don’t know if I’m more disposed to notice because of my particular situation or if the Universe is trying to let me know that, as difficult as I think my life is, there are many people who are going through much worse than I am.  Obviously, I know about the refugees and people in the Middle East who used to be middle class and are now in constant war.  Their whole lives have been devastated.  I know all about that.  I know about other people who are suffering.

But, sometimes I think of those people in an abstract way.  For any number of reasons, I move on to the next news item.  However, when I hear about someone’s personal story, it more deeply affects me.

In the October 2016 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, Elizabeth Gilbert wrote about a man who got hit by a bus and lost part of his leg.  He didn’t let that stop him; he got a prosthesis and went on to be a successful triathlete.  During a competition, a van that wasn’t even supposed to be on the road ran into him while he was leading a pack of able-bodied bicyclists.  The accident left him paralyzed from the neck down.  This seemed totally unfair.

In the beginning, he became depressed, lost his way, and abused drugs.  By the time Gilbert met him, he had found an inner peace and joy that went beyond his physicality.  He told her, “Don’t waste your pain.”  That really struck me.  Whatever you’re going through, don’t waste this experience.  Use it as an opportunity to grow, learn, and develop your connection with that which is beyond your circumstance.

There is a comic book series about women who have been victims of acid attacks.  I Googled a real woman, not a comic book character, who had commented on the books. Her particular story involved her rejection of a marriage proposal.  The suitor got together a group of his friends and they poured a bucket of acid on her while she was sitting in her car.  65% of her body was instantly burned.  She’s been through 40 surgeries.  She talked about how hard it is for victims to take that first look in the mirror.  Usually, these women were very attractive before the attacks.

This was 10 years ago.  She’s now 28, still a young lady.  She talked about how the support of her family enabled her to make it through.  Each day, she struggles to pursue her dreams.  She’s now studying to become a fashion designer.

I read another story about a woman named Sam who was visiting Thailand on a dream family vacation with her husband and young sons.  They returned to the hotel in which they were staying and went to its rooftop terrace.  Admiring the beachfront view, the woman leaned against the wooden railing, which gave way.  Their lives changed in an instant.  She fell 20 feet, broke her spine, became paralyzed from the waist down, spent six months in the hospital, and was told that she would never walk again.  Prior to this accident, she was an avid surfer, hiker, and mountain bicyclist.  Her months-long depression affected the entire family.  Over a very long time, Sam worked hard to regain her physical and mental strength and now competes worldwide in para-canoe championships.

I have friends and family who have gone through and are going through cancer treatments.  An associate just told me that her mom is going through chemo and will undergo surgery.  She has adjusted her schedule in order to be with her mom during this time.  This is a woman whose life I admire.  To me, her life is prosperous and happy, full of activity, world travel, and a wonderful marriage.  She told me, “Don’t judge people’s insides by their outsides because you never know what they are dealing with.”

We don’t hear about these personal stories on a daily basis.  Everyone always wants to put on a positive front.  True, no one wants to hear negativity all of the time.  It’s enough that we constantly hear about loss and devastation in the news.  Every day, somebody gets shot. Someone’s protesting.  War rages.

Nevertheless, sometimes, it’s helpful to see what’s going on in ordinary people’s personal lives, how they are working through challenges and becoming more than what they were. Their strength and perseverance transformed them into something else.  They inspire me and motivate me to continue telling my life’s stories in Ancient Seeker.  Reading about people who kept going somehow and someway enables me to take one more step.

So I pass it forward in Ancient Seeker, hoping that my decision to keep going encourages others to do the same.