Take it or leave it

     Now in life there are ups and there are downs, it's a given. Just like the sunshine and the clouds, we expect them because it is a part of nature. Well in life it goes the same way, it's not all lollipops and laughter. Imagine one day you woke up to a splitting headache or a terrible flu. It is usually in those moments that you realize how appreciative you really are. The fact that on healthier days you can laugh as loud as you wish or that you can walk to the bathroom knowing that, well you get the idea; its a normal routine with an expected outcome. You pretty much do everything without difficulty until that storm hits. Like a boat on the ocean, the waters become unpleasant and now you are fighting with everything. When I arrived at home from the hospital there were so many memories of things that once was as easy as smiling or laughing. They were natural causes of a life filled with less difficulty than the one that I was facing now.
     Here I am looking at the hallway and thinking " Man, I used to walk down this thing like it was going out of style!" Well maybe on a good day that is what still happens but every now and then my brain goes into another world and I have to fight tooth and nail. Hey, we all go through something that makes us realize that suddenly we need to be more thankful for what we really have.
     I was just thinking of all the people who go through harder times than I and I wonder. I wonder how their minds deal with the tragedy of loosing a dear loved one, or maybe finding out that they might have cancer?! There are many probabilities that could occur but the greater question is simply this. What am I thankful for?
What do I have? Who am I really? Those are all powerful questions and rightfully so, they are the foundation for failure or victory! Maybe you face a wall of broken dreams or a mountain of heartbreak, maybe you are wondering am I living a life worthy of praise? What I mean is this, is your life a story of victory and triumph or is it covered in regret and failure? In my opinion, there is enough for anyone to falter over if they look for it but to imagine being more than who you are, living beyond your fears, now that takes talent! Why live in a small room with no windows?! I want to run in the open fields of grace and mercy! I want to be a champion!
     So here I am, standing at the door of a new dream, waiting for my big run. I have worked through the pain, the tears, the seizures and all the garbage that has come with running long distances for a stroke survivor, I am here to live my dream, to be an inspiration to all those people who feel that they have lost their own! I want to prove that impossible is just a word and nothing more! I used to take hope for granted and laughter as just a moment but they no longer mean just that. They are the lifeline to success!

Jeremiah 17:7
"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 

Broken Lines

Todays fears will be conquered

hope will shine

way past every step

beyond every broken line

every shattered dream

that cries

Today I will learn to fly....

                                               By EvK

     When I first faced the inevitable desire to overcome my stroke, expand my boundaries; I felt excited and filled with anticipation. Maybe some would step back and let things be as they were but for me I have always been a fighter. Now don't get me wrong, I have my weak moments too but starting this dream wasn't one of them. For some wild reason I felt that if I could run I could make a difference. Change my circumstance into a message of hope!
     When I approached my first few kms (miles) I felt I had faced a giant, an insurmountable physical wall and emotionally draining challenge. I couldn't run any further than 22 kms and my dream was to go way past that, I felt literally discouraged. I know that I should have been proud of my distance, shoot I should have been shouting it from the top of the mountains. I didn't feel satisfied, I felt I was short of the distance that I truly wanted to accomplish. I needed to make the full lap that I had set out to do and I was going to do it somehow. Somewhere, somehow we all come to a dead end or at least one that we feel is impossible to overcome. Instead of staring at a failed attempt I decided that I needed some inspiration, some hope that could drive my dreams. So the next day I wrote this phrase with my picture.
     Now I was looking at my situation from the outside, seeing how far I had truly gone. I was learning how to be proud of my accomplishments for the first time! I saw a man who didn't want to give up or give in. We all need dreams and most definitely we need hope. Instead of looking at a blank wall why not try to figure how to climb over it or under. For that very matter, why not reach for inspiration!! You have one life to live and why not make the most of it?! After I wrote this I finally reached my goal of 31 kms, not only did I reach that distance but I went further.
     So the deep profound lesson that I have learned is this, give it your best and when that is gone give it your all! Reach for inspiration and if you can't find any then you need to seriously look around because it is everywhere! In my case I made my own because that is just what I needed at that very moment....

Don't fear challenges, they literally shape who you could possibly be if you so choose to accept!

When fear looks you in the eyes don't turn away, just smile and press forward!!!

Fear That Bleeds