Inspiration

We were preboarding a flight and the CSA came down w/ a gentleman named Joel. He was in his late twenties to mid-thirties, very kind, polite, and charismatic. He was also blind. He had a suitcase, a walking stick and a friendly smile. I led him to his seat, we chatted for a bit, and he shared his story with me.
A year ago, he was in a car accident that left him blind... Before the accident, he was a teacher. Now, he is the student, and has been accepted to one of the top blind schools in the nation. He was actually on our flight on his way to begin his second semester.
I am sure the road has not been easy for him since his accident. He probably went through many different phases of recovery both physically and emotionally.
But let me tell you what I saw that day.
I saw hope.
I saw determination.
I saw a person, despite challenges, working towards something more.
He had such a positive attitude and outlook. He didn't have control on what happened to him. But what he does have control on is how he will live and overcome the obstacles.
Since the flight, I've been thinking a lot about Joel and the human spirit. Life happens, and it can change in an instant. It could be an accident, an illness; it could happen to someone we love or even to ourselves. Or it could even be losing ourselves - so much that we become truly blind to what matters in life.
Do we let our trials, our problems, our fears, our insecurities, our disappointments and challenges beat us?
Or do we act like Joel; take hold of those we love and what we do have; work towards every opportunity presented to us to make us better people; live life to the best of our ability, despite our circumstances, and beat the odds.