Feeling Lucky (04-02-07)

What does it mean to feel lucky? When we buy a lottery ticket or enter a raffle, we might say that we feel lucky, or when we take a wild guess at something, we might do so because we feel lucky. But, do we ever feel lucky for the things that we have? Do we ever feel lucky to be able to walk, to run, to lift, to throw? And would we ever feel lucky to NOT be able to do any of these routine actions?

This week, our students and staff had the distinct pleasure to listen to Ward Foley. Mr. Foley, a Norton resident for the last nine years, came to Hill City High School at the bequest of Graham County Hospice, to relate his many experiences growing up and surviving as a disabled person in America. I found his talk to be compelling. He was brutally honest about all he had suffered, yet he always remained positive, even in the most grueling and painful times.

His latest book is called Thank My Lucky Scars and that title encapsulates Ward’s ultra-positive philosophy. He is a man who is lucky just to be alive, and in surviving he has learned the hard way how to turn lemons in lemonade and how to always see the bright side of life.

Mr. Foley was born with a rare condition that gave him two clubbed feet and two clubbed hands, practically no muscles in his arms, and sent him to the hospital for nearly thirty operations, along with painful and difficult rehabilitation.

While the surgeries gave him basic use of his arms, hands, and feet, and allowed Ward to accomplish some amazing things, (such as riding a bicycle across both America and Canada), Foley related how he spent much of his life just trying to be “normal.”

He played little league, even though he could barely run. He rode motorcycles, even though it was often dangerous for him do so. He found ways to obtain jobs, though his condition often made even routine tasks exhausting and dangerous.

This quest to be “normal” was always a battle that Ward Foley could not win. No matter how much he accomplished, he would be reminded in a hundred different ways that he was indeed a disabled individual.

Then, Ward came to a realization that changed his life. Through his struggle to be normal, Ward discovered that normal didn’t actually exist. He realized that he did not need to feel alone of as part of a minority because of his disability, once he came to understand, that to one extent or another, we are all disabled. Furthermore, he learned to be grateful for his disabilities because they were a part of who he is, was, and will be.

I think that Ward Foley is indeed correct: we ARE all disabled in that we all have obstacles and difficulties that each of us must learn to live with every day. Our disabilities, whether great or small, overwhelming or manageable, play an important part in forming who we are. Mr. Foley helped me to see our difficulties not as problems, but as opportunities. He helped me to realize that we must cherish both our disabilities and our abilities for what they allow to achieve.

Now, I thank my lucky scars as well. To some extent, we may all be disabled, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t learn, grow, and enjoy the ride.

Do you feel lucky? If Ward Foley can feel fortunate in the light of all he has been through, then it is a lesson for us all that we have much for which to feel lucky each and every day.