Practice Perseverance

Real Strength

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”

Mahatma Gandhi

I belong to Lakeshore gym, which is also a training facility for paralympic athletes. This summer has included wheelchair basketball training, rugby team training and practice, and inclusion camp for kids. When I go to walk in the field house, the three center courts are a hive of activity—clanging, banging, chairs whirling and clashing, beaten almost unrecognizable. Sometimes kids are screaming or bawling, being comforted by staff. Everything is in motion. Around the edges, on the track, old folks like me are walking, hobbling, sometimes on walkers or canes, with a few, myself thankfully included, ambulating on their own steam. Now and then, joggers with younger hips and knees weave through the slow-pokes. I love going there when I'm feeling sorry for myself for some infirmity or other, sore ankle, stiff back. It humbles and shames me to see what's possible even when half your body doesn't work properly. My self-pity evaporates in a nanosecond. And, of course, having grown up with a sister who was disabled, and having spent forty years working with other people with disabilities, these are my peeps, so I'm right at home.

What I've learned from watching these young folks in chairs is that real strength comes from determination and grit. Typically, when we think of athletes, we imagine their beautifully conditioned bodies, the six hours a day they spend in the gym and on the fields of practice. They are strong, yes. But so are people who overcome great odds to do what they want to do. The young athletes at Lakeshore are not out to prove anything. They, like other athletes, just love the game and want to play in spite of their limitations. We all have limitations, don't we? Mine happen not to be physical, though I'm not as strong as I once was. Perhaps you have a few, too.

Strength of heart and spirit are just as important to a healthy, happy life as physical strength. I think of Stephen Hawking, who lived for decades confined to a chair and unable even to speak. He prevailed because of that indomitable will of which Gandhi spoke. A neighbor stopped me on the street a couple of weeks ago to tell me that she was depressed and nothing seemed to help. Her melancholy persisted in spite of treatment, leaving her sometimes feeling suicidal. Outwardly, this person has everything the “good life” has to offer, including wealth and good looks. Sometimes we give up too soon because we do not expect life to be so challenging. We think that our station in life will protect us from such pain. Then the losses stack up, and instead of persisting, we throw in the towel. Seeing the paralympic athletes helps me to remember that practice is what builds strength and excellence. Practice strength of body, mind AND spirit. Don't give up, and don't leave out the mind and spirit part of the equation—perseverance conquers weakness in any area.

                                                                    In the Spirit,

                                                                        Jane