Every day I bitch and moan about something...most things are trivial, but at the time, of course, they feel catastrophic. We all need a little bit of perspective every now and then to 'ground us', and show us what we really need to concentrate on. How fortunate I am, for example, to have the ability to walk, to dance, to feel the sand between my toes on the beach, to hug...
Dianne Odell from Tennessee passed away after living in an 'iron lung' for 58 years - after contracting polio when she was 3 years old. She received her high school diploma - took college courses, and even wrote a children's book - all the while encapsulated inside a 750 lb iron chamber that was sealed at the neck, the iron chamber 'breathing' for her. The fact that her will to live was as strong as it was - and how accepting she was of her inabilities is just phenomenal. I'm so sad for her family. The most poignant line in the article is this:
"Everyone she encountered came to her because they cared about her," he said, "so she grew up in her 61 years thinking every person is good."
Full story: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/28/iron.lung.death.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
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