“Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results.”
-Anonymous
I was looking for inspirational quotes today after a tough training session. My exertions highlighted just how far I still have to go to regain strength and mobility in the leg I broke last October. The training assessment also highlighted just how far I’ve fallen from my prior state of physical fitness.
I’ve been remembering someone I haven’t thought about for awhile. A lifetime ago, in the 1920s, there was a pretty young woman who had the whole world before her. She was a painter, and her parents and twin sister proudly hung each piece of artwork she brought home from class, until the walls were heavy with oil colors. Her favorite subjects were rabbis. Something about the far off look in their eyes, the non-earthly aura that surrounded those learned men, captivated her interest.
While too prim and proper to be an outright flapper, she was definitely a woman of a new era. With her stylish bob, face powder, and red lipped pout, she must have turned more than a few heads in her heyday. Certainly, she was not a woman fated to be crippled in a random and senseless car accident.
It was all rather stupid, really. A father left his car running with his young son still inside. As he went about his errands, his son slid into the driver’s seat and shifted the car into gear. Just at that moment, the young artist attempted to dash across the street between two parked cars. Unbeknownst to her, one of those cars was at the mercy of a young boy, whose feet couldn’t quite reach the pedals. While she escaped with her life, one of her legs was crushed, and she suffered a permanent limp. In those days, being “lame,” was a blemish.
Her self confidence plummeted, and she became shy and withdrawn. She continued to paint as a hobby, but all thoughts of a career in art were abandoned. She was eventually matched to an equally shy and introverted man, and they lived in the home of her sister and her family for the majority of their marriage. That woman was my great aunt.
It’s late at night, and my optimism is never at its best when the moon is slicing through my window slats. Everything seems to look brighter in the morning. At least, that’s what I’ve told myself hundreds of times and been rewarded with another sunrise to add to my growing collection. As this day, dead of all hope and prospects, draws to a silent close, the anticipation of tomorrow’s newborn sun brings a measure of hope.
I also find some comfort in Rebbetzin Feigie Twerski’s explanation of the origins of the name, Israel -
“Historically, the name “Israel” conferred upon the Jewish people, after the epic battle between Jacob and the Heavenly representative of the evil forces of Esau, derives from the word “soriso” (you struggled). The verse reads, “You struggled with God and with man and you were victorious.” It is noteworthy that the exalted designation in the name “Israel” is not derived from the word denoting victory but from the root that connotes struggle. It is the struggle that God values.
It is precisely the exertion, the anguish and the living experience that transforms us. Thoughts and feelings alone, as important as they are, do not suffice. We live in what our sages refer to as the “world of action.” Behavior and deeds are what modify and define us. It is in the doing that we draw on resources deep within us to actualize what heretofore was mere potential.”
I know that thoughts, prayers, and wishes alone will be insufficient to fully heal and regain my overall health. I must match those feelings with physical actions to achieve a complete recovery.
Growth is painful. A person perfects themselves not by side stepping that pain, but by walking through it. Our character, our faith, our very beings are forged in fire. We are shaped and refined by the extreme heat of doubt and uncertainty. Some people melt under the pressure, while others cool and sharpen into a more formidable blade.
