"Ordinary" people who perform heroically usually amaze the rest of us, especially when they seem unimpressed with themselves.
Here's one you won't forget. Meet Nico Calabria, age 20, a standout in every way.
After Nico's birth doctors told his parents their son would never lead a normal life.
Could never lead a normal life.
Yet at Concord-Carlisle (MA) High School he played on the varsity soccer team and the varsity wrestling team.
As a 19-year old he was one of five amateur football (soccer) players featured in Powerade's 2014 FIFA World Cup ad campaign.
Even earlier, at age 13, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the 19,341 ft. peak, set a world record and, by the way, raised $100,000 to provide free wheelchairs to needy people in Tanzania.
He did it all on crutches.
Nico was born without a right hip or leg.
His fascination with soccer balls started early
He first picked one up and played with it as a toddler. An unlikely toy? Sure, but his parents never discouraged him and Nico never viewed his disability as an excuse not to try.
As he told interviewer Mihaela Husar of "Impresive" magazine, "It was hard sometimes, but my family always had a 'no excuse, tough love mentality' when it came to overcoming challenges."
That's easy to say, hard to carry out for any mom or dad, but especially when their child has a disability.
We get a glimpse of Nico growing up
The ad agency hired by PowerAde sports drink produced this heartwarming video about Nico's life when he was chosen to be a member of Team USA of the American Amputee Soccer Association which in 2014 competed in the World Cup.
YouTube picked it up and it immediately went viral.
For Nico it's all about doing what he loves
Nico tells his "Impresive" interviewer some people think he's trying to make a statement by playing soccer with able-bodied people. Not true. He says he never gave up because, "I just love playing soccer."
It helps that he has no hangups about what he can or cannot do.
"I look at disabilities as 'differences in ability.' There's an important distinction. The definition of 'disabled' is basically a long list of synonyms that don't describe me...like 'crippled' and 'weak'."
PowerAde's global communication manager says Nico redefines our outlook on challenges. "Having one leg was his reality, so he chose to view it as an asset rather than a hindrance. ... That's what we loved about him."
Here's life according to Nico at age 18: "I've got one leg. You get one life. I'm not going to let the hand I was dealt in life dictate what my life is going to be."
What holds the rest of us back?
It took me way too long to understand the basic, obvious fact that everything hinges on how we think and what we think.
Whatever the circumstances of our life may be, what we think is most important.
That's just as true for you and me as it is for Nico Calabria.
I need to keep reminding myself of that truth, so I collect quotes. Here are some favorites. Each one has at times been on a sticky note on my bathroom mirror or tacked to the bulletin board above my computer.
- Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it. --Irving Berlin
- Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right. --Henry Ford
- Never, never, never give up! --Winston Churchill
The bottom line for us as Christians
You and I face different challenges, but each one of us has difficulties to overcome. How we look at our lives makes all the difference.
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. --Proverbs 23:7 NLT
For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control. --2 Tim. 1:7 ESV
We know we're not alone. For us, it's God who gives us the right spirit and supplies what we need to live the life He has given us.
That certainty will carry us through each day, each challenge. Count on it.
Still learning,
Lenore
