…therefore, I
am
(a
continuation of Act IV, Scene I)
In my life, the early stages
of Act II and Act III comprised the dissolution of who I was before attempting any
opportunity to become the person I was to be.
[Remember your promise: “Unlike
before, I will not destroy the foundation already set – my efforts to thrive
cannot abandon life I love and cherish.”]
Exactly.
The reason I shared that
commitment a few weeks ago was to establish the constant reminder – a token I
shall carry with me as I trek, stumble, and eventually progress through this
journey of attainment. Who I become, the man I will embrace, cannot dismiss
even the slightest bit of his past.
Who I was became the bedrock
of my being, a stage set for the people in my life. They were the connections
to every shared experience. My experiences were the bases for every grain of
knowledge and understanding. Understanding drove every action, intentional or
otherwise. Every action determined who I was; the sum of who I was is who I am
today.
[Your bedrock?]
My bedrock.
Who am I?
I am a father, a son, a
brother, an uncle, a cousin… I am a family.
I am a friend, a lover, a
sidekick and companion.
I’m a veteran, holding his
wings and crossed sabers close to heart.
I’m a Defender, a member of
the Long Gray Line.
I am retired, but still a business
professional, author, and a man searching for his next career.
I’m an advocate, a mentor, a
philanthropist, a voice.
I am an athlete, striving for
more, working with what I have and where I am limited (just like every other
athlete).
I’m a hack cook, experimenting
to find the best combinations to meet every tasty nutrition goal.
I am so much — I will be even
more tomorrow.
My actions, understanding,
knowledge, experiences, the people in my life made me who I am.
I am a man fighting multiple
sclerosis, a disease that consistently attacks and jeopardizes absolutely every
physical aspect of my being. My disability is an experience, one that drove
people into (and out of) my life as it became a major part of my experiences,
knowledge, understanding, and actions.
It will continue to do so.
Multiple sclerosis is not my
bedrock.
It is not “who I am” in any
way.
It’s high time I stop giving
it credit. I choose to share my passions, challenges, and achievements sought
because of who I am rather than focusing solely on one specific experience.
[Promise me you will move on
from here and stop obsessing over this point.]
I’ll move on from here and
stop obsessing over this point.
This
is not about what my life will be like when the fight is over.
I will never stop
I will never quit
This is my story
100%
of the royalties earned from my books go to the National MS Society, to support
our fight: http://neverstopneverquit.com/books
Never Stop… Never Quit…®
Kevin
Byrne
Portland,
OR
Never Stop…
Never Quit…
Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.
No comments:
Post a Comment