The Superhumans

I was born with my senses, my fingers and toes

My hands on the end of arms, not shoulders
Because my mother did not need medication for nausea
I was a normal height

I was not born in a war zone

I did not have to go to war or choose to go to war
I have not been besieged by shrapnel, bullets and bombs
My limbs have remained intact, my spinal cord un-penetrated

I have not been subjected to the twisted metal of a car crash

I have not had a devastating fall
I have not contracted a random virus which has stolen my sight
I have not lost the myelin coating surrounding my nervous system

I have been spared all of the above for now, for today

Our abilities are not a given, they may go,
It is random, indiscriminate
And how we deal with it is up to us
Our spirit determines the outcome

And now I celebrate the Superhumans, the heros
The Paralympic competitiors of 2012
 

I am in awe of these men and women that due to a broad variety of circumstances have found themselves in that category of invisible people “disabled”, the people we usually look away from and pretend do not exist. Instead these humans have made a conscious decision to enhanced their “abilities’ and encased them in a vast amount of spirit and dedication. Instead of seeing obstacles they just focus on HOW it can be done.

I am making a conscious effort to get to know these athletes and their stories, not because it needs their story to make them a worthwhile contender but because I, like many others, need to be reminded how random life can be and how we must be continually thankful for the abilities we do have. We have so much to learn from their determination, humour and acceptance that pain is a mere barrier that can be overcome with adrenaline.