Fight On

About a month and a half ago, I witnessed something which changed how I look at life’s struggles. I work at an overnight camp for adults with intellectual disabilities and during the last week we have a day dedicated to the Special Olympics. I was helping out at a relay event where the campers would run down to one cone balancing an egg on a spoon, toss some beanbags at a target, dribble a soccer ball back and shoot a goal before the next camper went. About twenty campers were lined up and after they all completed the course, one last camper got up to the line.

I don’t remember his name. But he was in a motorized wheelchair as well as being not able to talk and having an intellectual disability. I watched as he balanced the egg on the spoon on his lap and rode down the field. Then a counselor at the other end handed him beanbag after bean bag until he hit his mark. I was curious about how he would dribble the ball back, and watched in awe as he placed it between his feet, which dangled, and pushed it forward slowly, so it wouldn’t roll away, with his chair. Though I was impressed, I still doubted that he would be able to kick the ball into the goal seeing as he could not use his legs to dribble it. But then, I watched as he hoisted himself up out of the chair, fell to his knees, and kneed the ball towards the goal. He missed, and another counselor gave it back to him. He missed a second time, and was given the ball back once more. The third time was the charm. As the ball rolled into the net, I’m not sure what gave me bigger chills: The huge smile that swept across his face in his moment of victory, or the thunderous cheering of everyone around him, campers and counselors included, who all gathered around to give him high fives and congratulate him.

Even though I don’t even know this man’s name, I will always be in awe of him: his courage, his heart, but mostly, his fight.

 

Fight: Not that intense feeling when you hate something so much you’ll do anything to crush it. That intense feeling when you want something so much you’ll do anything to get it.

If you ever want something as much as that man did, what would stop you from getting it? Gather your fight. It's right there, inside of you. And fight on.