I am having a great time on my trip. I will have much to share with you when I return. Nevertheless, thank you for visiting and spending time with another of my guest bloggers, Dan Meyers.
First, let me tell you a little about Dan.
Dan’s blog is Breakfree.me. He writes from personal experience about how to pay off debt, while saving and investing and making the most of your current situation. His amazing tools can enable you to gain control of your finances, pursue your passion and find your life’s purpose.
On a personal note, Dan is very happily married and loves living in New Orleans with their dog Lucy. He greatly enjoys running when injuries don’t get in the way of that endeavor.
So here is Dan’s story:
Sometimes You Have To Dance
“One of the most difficult parts of life is playing with the hand we’re dealt. It’s so tempting to compare our lives with others and quickly identify the things they have and we don’t. With the beautiful and unrealistic world we see on television, and in magazines, it’s a wonder any of us normal people can be happy!
I never realized how true this was until I was dealt a temporary handicap. Up until this point, I’ve been very fortunate without any permanent handicaps, major injuries, or anything else in life that made me feel less than normal.
However, on April 25, I tore my Achilles Tendon while… playing kickball. Oh yes, I was reliving one of those childhood sports I always loved playing so much! It was a complete rupture and required surgery to repair.
There is never a ‘good time’ to have an injury, but this period was a little tough because of an upcoming vacation and my brother-in-laws wedding which required us to travel to Kentucky. The wedding was May 27th, which meant I was still in my cast. The cast covered my foot and went up to the bottom of my knee, so there was no walking on it. One other detail, he was kind enough to ask me to be in the wedding.
Some absolute genius invented a “knee walker” to ease the pain of crutches. This device makes life so much easier for people who can’t walk due to an injured foot or ankle. Also, it helps you relive more of your childhood days because it’s quite literally a scooter you get to roll around on all day!
It sounds fun at first, but after all of the extra attention and answering the question, “Wow, cool, what is that?” a thousand times on the street and in the airport, it starts to get a little old! We made it to Kentucky, and I even survived a layover/plane switch in Chicago.
As the wedding approached, I hadn’t kept the best attitude over the weekend because I was tired of dealing with the injury and dealing with the questions. I was hoping my brother-in-law and his to-be wife would be too embarrassed to allow me to stand up front with the other groomsmen because of my scooter. But no, they’re great people, and they still wanted me to be a part of the wedding.
What was even better was they had each groomsmen walk down the center aisle at the beginning of the ceremony – or in my case, roll.
My lowest point was when I went rolling down the aisle in my knee scooter to the heckling of my in-laws! They of course did it with the best of intentions, but my humiliation and frustration was only hidden by the smile on my face.
The only moment that could be worse than going down the aisle would be the introductions of the wedding party as we individually entered the reception. Luckily, I was matched up with my wife, so that made it a little better. Time to tuck my tail and reenter to the heckling…
But no, it wouldn’t be that way! In a stroke of genius, My wife decided she should push me into the reception on my knee scooter. They announced our names, with my wife pushing me from behind, I came flying in like Superman and the crowd erupted with laughter and cheering!
It was at that moment I got it. Life sometimes sucks. However, people love it when they see others having fun and succeeding despite a disability. I spent nearly the entire rest of the night on the dance floor on my knee scooter… doing “around the worlds” with my wife and other friends by spinning them around me on my scooter. Needless to say, we all had a great time. I’m glad she insisted I made the best of my experience because I will remember it for a long time.
I have an enormous amount of respect for people who live with permanent physical and mental disabilities. Not only are they the unwanted center of other’s attention due to their disability, but they are constantly dealing with the handicap themselves. Next time you see someone handicap, help them, shoot them a smile, or say a few nice words… I know I definitely will!”
Wasn’t that a great story?
Dan Meyers at, Breakfree.me was one of the very first individuals I met when I had just entered the Blogosphere. It was shear happnetance. I noticed a comment he had made on one of the blogs I had just started following and I clicked through to his blog and the rest is history. He has been a tremendous support while I struggled to build and grow my blog. When time permits, visit his blog. You will not be disappointed.
Now I would love it if you would take a moment and leave a comment for Dan to let him know what your thoughts. He would very much appreciate it and so would I.
Life’s journey continues…