I was Humbled today

This morning began like so many Monday mornings. I awoke, did the eliptical machine while watching the Fox & Friends Morning Show, ate, showered, and went on the Monday morning step class at the gym. I arrived to find the instructor talking to someone in the rear of the room. Upon second glance, I realized that the person was someone I knew. Her name is Shannon and she is blind. She is a member of a Power Class (weight lifting class) that I attend occasionally on Monday and Wednesday afternoons.

I watched the instructor explain some of the steps that would be cued during the class and listened while she explained about the equipment -- i.e., the step. Shannon had her mother with her and her mother was listening so that she might be a good "guide" for her daughter. As the music began, I watched as Shannon listened and did what she was cued to do. When there was a doubt, her mother would give her more detailed instruction. For one hour, I watched and became so humbled by the determination and bravery of this wonderful person.

I only knew her as a woman that came to class with her guide dog, Brewster. I found her charming and so kind. There was always a smile on her face and in the midst of any class, her humor carried us all through the steps of lifting our weights!

Now I watched her take on the new challenge of the Step Class. I watched her struggle to listen, understand, assimilate, and execute what some people would never even try for fear of failure. I watched her take direction so easily and willingly. She never showed her frustration (if indeed she had any at all). She patiently went through the steps that she could and when she left class, smiling and laughing with her mother, told us all that she would see us again!

I learned that she is a wife, mother, and a working attorney. I always knew that she was a woman of great strength and now appreciated the depth of her accomplishments.

I took a moment to thank God for all the blessings that I have in my life. I have the ability to see, hear, feel, taste, and smell. I can awake each morning and carry out my day without the need of assistance -- either physical or mental. I have the ability to go where I want, when I want, and to share the world with all whom I love. I was overwhelmed that I had never taken a moment to appreciate the gifts of living.

This inspired me to want to "think outside my box" -- to reach for something that I might think impossible. I would love to leave the legacy to my children that there was nothing that I wouldn't try. I want to stop putting artificial boundaries on my thoughts and actions and try instead to approach each new subject as a "why not" rather than a "why".

I will, yet again, thank God everyday that I can walk and move without pain -- and without undue restriction. I remembered where I was one year ago and smile as I run up the stairs and dance through a zumba class. I am one lucky person and I do appreciate this gift.

I was humbled today. I will not forget this lesson.