Life is an Obstacle Course - Keep Fit and Have Patience

Posted by martin.parnell |

Adrianne Haslet-Davis survived the horrific bombings, at the 2013 Boston Marathon, where she lost her left leg below the knee. She quickly rose to meet her daily challenges head on with a unique perspective. Being a ballroom dancer and former Fortune 500 corporate manager, at the peak of her career, she has had to re-learn her craft and an entirely new meaning to the word patience.

At approximately 7:15 p.m., on April 18th of this year, Adrianne crossed the Boston Marathon finish line, after spending nearly 10 hours on the course. She became the second person who lost a limb in the 2013 finish line bombings to complete the race on foot, after Patrick Downes finished earlier in the day. 

Next Sunday, 29th. May, I will be running the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon, as my alter-ego Captain Clot-Buster. This super-hero first appeared at the 10 km “Dash of Doom” on October 24th 2015, eight months after being diagnosed with an extensive clot on the brain. It was a long road to recovery, from sitting, to walking, to running, with many obstacles to overcome. Fitness and patience were two key elements that helped me along the way.

According to my neurosurgeon, being in good shape certainly helped my recovery, if not my survival. As with Adrianne, it’s important to keep yourself fit, as it gives you a better chance of overcoming challenges relating to your health. Being healthy in mind and body can certainly be a bonus, when it comes to dealing with certain events in our lives.

I had to learn to deal with partial loss of vision and balance and have the patience to put all my planned engagements on hold until I had made sufficient recovery to re-engage my speaking career. For other people, their working lives can be just as disrupted by traumatic events, other than health issues, beyond their control.

In Alberta, in particular, we have seen the effects of the downturn in the oil and gas industry and now the devastation of the Fort McMurray wild fire. Both will have brought uncertainty to the lives of many. What one should try to remember is that, whether or not you pursue the same lifestyle you had before, or choose to go along a different path, past experience will always provide you with a set of skills on which to draw.

The important thing is to recognise the diversity of those skills, and be open to applying them to new and different opportunities.

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