Do you ever find life to be disappointing or just plain too hard? Are you ever discouraged to the extent that you just do not feel like accomplishing anything? Sometimes, your energy level is too sapped to really work hard even if it is on something that is important or that needs to be done. These are probably all normal feelings we’ve all experienced at one time or another. But who wants to stay in this mood or have that “down in the dumps” feeling? The key is to find a way to change how we think about things and know that we have the power to move into a more positive state of mind. Well, I recently met a remarkable person who makes me smile and who, without his even knowing it, encourages me to tackle my life and my responsibilities and even my enjoyments in a healthier and uplifting fashion.
Meet Dana Albrycht. He is my niece Jessica’s new 32 year old boyfriend. As a baby, he had part of his right leg removed and has, out of necessity, learned to function on one leg. That means that he goes to work, school, on walks, drives, runs, swims, hikes, and mountain climbs without all of the advantages that most of us have. Instead, he uses crutches, a prosthetic or sometimes he just hops. None of this has slowed Dana down in caring for his daughter or talking the regular things we all have to do; grocery shopping, house cleaning, and even the dreaded snow shoveling.
But as impressive as watching Dana do the regular, mundane responsibilities of life, the inspirational part is to talk to him about and watch him do the exceptional parts of life.
Dana is a champion athlete and he loves it! He and Jessica just finished a ½ marathon (13.1 miles). She had not done much running before, but with Dana’s guidance and encouragement, she undertook this challenge and they successfully finished the entire race. Of course this pales only slightly to the fact that Dana had already ran the New York marathon (26.2 miles) last year!
During a gorgeous, sunny fall day in Connecticut and Dana took Jessica, my husband, Bob, and myself on a hike through the woods. There was slippery granite, streams to cross, wet leaves to maneuver through, but I was confident that I would be able to do it. At the top of the sloping mountain was a nature conservatory with a beautiful, caged bald eagle. Although well cared for, he had lost an eye when he was young, so now will spend the rest of his life in captivity.
Dana had to wait for us a few times as we trekked down the hills. I could not help but marvel at his agility and grace as he triumphed over all the obstacles, the whole time telling us funny hiking stories. What a great day we had: lots of laughs and smiles. Fortunately, none of us have to live in captivity like the bald eagle, but rather we can soar to our own levels of freedom and achievement. There is nothing to stop us.
Sometimes it just takes a person like Dana to give us the little push we need to keep moving and the encouragement to believe that today is a new day and for that, we are each a bit stronger. Spread your wings and know that you have the power and the control to make your day, your year. and your life worth living and enjoying. Look for the Dana in your life to help motivate you!
Debi Beard
