LEARNING HOW TO ENJOY THE MOMENT!
ENJOY THE MOMENT!
I had the joy and privilege of hearing and meeting Amy Purdy this past week. Her story is flat out amazing! She was a totally healthy 19 yr old until she got mengicoccal meningitis and almost died. She ended up surviving but at the expense of having both legs amputated below the knee. As devastating as this was she gave herself time to grieve and then made the choice to start living again. She loved snowboarding before her sickness and was determined to board again. This was new charted territory as not many if anyone before her who was a bilateral leg amputee was snowboarding. Amy had many obstacles to face but never gave up. She learned to snowboard and with the help of others was able to petition the Olympic committee to add snowboarding to the 2014 Para-Olympic games. Amy competed in the games and won a bronze metal. She then went on to compete in Dancing With The Stars competition and placed in the final 3. She was faced with the challenge of which feet to use based on which dance she was performing each week. Amy did this with beauty, grace and determination. She turned tragedy in to triumph. Her story is utterly INSPIRING. She wrote a book on it titled “On My Own Two Feet” and I highly recommend reading it. (The link is available below or if you want to click on the “SHOP” tab at the top of this page.)
We are all faced with difficult circumstances in our lives some more tragic than others but it’s our choice to choose how we let it affect our lives. We can learn and grow to become stronger, physically, mentally and spiritually or we can let it drag us down and get the best of us. Even small things that happen in our lives we can choose to live in the moment and enjoy it or let worry and fear ruin it for us. I did the latter and learned this valuable lesson.
In the photo below I’m pictured with my mom and Amy Purdy. So it’s awesome to be able to take a picture with such an amazing women. Right? But I knew she was in a hurry to catch a plane and felt guilty she was being kind enough to take a photo with us dispite her busy schedule. So I look at me in this picture and don’t like it because all I see is guilt and fear instead of genuine, sincere happiness. This is how our ego works. It steels the joy from the moment and allows us to feel shame and guilt and other emotions that stem from fear. The bottom line is I shouldn’t have felt guilty! Amy at first declined the photo because she was in a hurry. When she realized the valet hadn’t brought her car around and she had a minute she graciously agreed to take a picture with us. I should have been basking in the opportunity and enjoyed each second instead of feeling bad I might be holding her up. I really got a first hand lesson at enjoying the moment because they can be fleeting. Next time I have a similar opportunity I will take full advantage of enjoying the moment and fully allow myself to appreciate the gift in front of me. I’m grateful for the opportunity to hear her story and meet such an awesome soul and I’m grateful for the lesson I learned. So take a minute to take a deep breath and ENJOY THE MOMENT!
LOVE & LIGHT
Valerie
