What if!!

 I was wondering if I could do something over, would my life be different? On Monday night I watched American Ninja Warriors and there was a guy in his mid twenties who had Cerebral Palsy. He wore braces on his legs when he was a kid and now he is competing on American Ninja Warrior.  He doesn’t have to wear braces anymore. If you don’t know, America Ninja Warrior features an obstacle course and you have to use your upper body strength to complete it. I am doing something like that with Cros.fit every Tuesday and every other Thursday. 

I remember when I was a kid I had to wear braces on my legs too. But I don’t know why I needed to wear them because I couldn’t walk on my own, only with help from others. I used to crawl around the house with the braces on my legs. the braces were pinching my bum, so I didn’t like them. One day I stopped wearing them and I started doing whatever I wanted to. Babies can walk at an early age as my two sisters did, but I was 13 years old when I finally got up to try to walk on my own. I remember one time when I was on the couch watching television and I needed to go to the bathroom; I thought I could try to take couple of steps and see how far I can go without falling. My mom would cautiously watch me from the kitchen but I didn’t care in the moment, I wanted to try to take a few steps on my own without falling. I began taking a step and another one and then two more steps and so on until I reached the bathroom. I felt like a baby taking her first wobbly steps. I know that sounds crazy at 13 years old, but if you were me in that moment you would’ve understood just how big of a deal it was. I will never forget that day. 

Today I can’t take steps anymore because of the mini stroke I had 7 years ago. As a result of the stroke, I have fallen a lot over the years and have split my head open. I still have scars on my head from this. Watching American Ninja Warriors, it got me thinking… if I keep working at it and doing cross fit, would I become as strong as him? Watching him, you would never know that he used to wear braces on his legs. I wonder if I continue to push myself and my body, will I be able to walk on my own again? Will I ever be able to do the same things I did before I had the mini stroke? I am inspired by the stories I hear of others, like this man on American Ninja Warriors, because it brings me hope and optimism. I have hope and optimism that I will be able to help my body heal in order to do things that I used to do, such as taking steps. I have hope and optimism that I will be able to grow and strengthen my body so that I can do even more than I could before. 

If this man could spend his childhood wearing braces on his legs, to now be competing on American Ninja Warrior, what does this mean to me? I was able to take steps on my own before, and now this is an obstacle that I am overcoming. Thinking back to that moment when I was 13 is something that is bittersweet. I wish I could relive it over and over again, but I also use it as motivation to continue to push myself. I know that one day I will be able to do even more than I could before I had the stroke. Everything takes time, patience, and effort. I am going to keep working out and building my strength and endurance. I aim to inspire myself and others.