My parents might think that my Youtube obsession is getting slightly out of hand when I sit in my room and watch random videos, but I think, especially after today, that I'm actually benefiting from it, and it's helping me slightly become a better person. Or at least it's making me think a lot about things that pertain to my life around me.
I just recently watched a Youtube video by Alex Day (also known as Nerimon on Youtube) titled: Life Challenges.
This video is one of several he had posted over several days in a short series of videos from when he was in Zambia with World Vision. The videos opened my eyes a bit about Zambia and third world countries in general.
Towards the end of the video, Alex talks about how the people of the communities he had the experience to be around, and how they take their problems in life as challenges. This particular statement made me really think. And I mean, turning my computer off for a few minutes, staring at the wall and think. I would have done my typical debate/extemp pace if my hip wasn't bothering at the time. I mean, I hardcore, genuinely thought about this.
I know for a fact that my life isn't perfect, but it's definitely not the worst either. I've always thought that there is always another person out there worse off than you. Think about it; think about everything that could possibly be wrong in your life. For example, I had to have my hip replaced over a month ago at the age of seventeen, I've basically spent my entire life up until now disabled, and I'll be disabled for the rest of my life to a certain extent. Home life really isn't all that great either, there are a lot of issues that come up consistently and it takes a lot out of me. Another point, I've never really gotten to know my brother as well as I'd like, being fifteen years apart makes things difficult, he was in the military for a while and now he's married with kids and lives in another state. Those are probably what I would have dubbed the worst things in my life up until about a couple of months ago.
But there is someone out there, with no home, no family, no food. There's someone out there that is struggling to stay alive. I've been extremely grateful the last couple of months for the things that I've got and the support I have, but thinking about this in a new way has made me even that much more grateful.
Looking at life problems as challenges is an interesting and quite positive way to get through the struggles that we may have from a day to day basis to even long term things.
I guess I've already thought about life this way in a certain extent, but I hadn't really explored the idea. I've spent most of my childhood up until the time I started high school, just trying to fit in. It was difficult to me though because while all the other kids were playing sports competitively I was usually always the one cheering from the sidelines. There were things I couldn't do because I had certain limitations with my hip disability and it frustrated me so much.
When I started high school, it's cliché to say, but I felt I had a new start. I was still with the same kids I had known for over eight years already, but I felt it was time to let go and challenge myself, not just sit back and not try. My mom had signed me up for general weight lifting instead of the normal coed physical education class because she knew that the PE class would involve a lot of running, and I could barely maintain a jog for a small amount of time before I either grew tired or began to hurt in my hip or other parts of my leg. Even within the weight lifting class, after speaking with my coach, whom was very understanding about my disability, had told me that I could do the bare minimum and would still pass the class. He wasn't just giving me an A, but told me that if I worked hard and did what I was supposed to I could pass.
I challenged myself then. I had made a subconscious goal every day then on that I would attempt to progress in some way in the class. By the end of the semester coach was rather surprised but quite pleased with how far I had excelled.
It hasn't really been up until the last couple of months that I've really felt rejuvenated so to speak to challenge myself and excel. Beginning of January, I decided to go back to school without my wheelchair that I had been using for over a month because I could barely get out of bed at times because my hip hurt so badly. I don't know how I managed it, but I did manage to go the entire week without my wheelchair. It felt good to know that I could put my mind to something like that and overcome it. Though, it was definitely not an easy task.
We had been scheduled for an appointment in St. Louis, Missouri at Shriner's Hospital for Children where I had several years previous had hip surgery done; they were to give us the second opinion on a hip replacement. I was extremely nervous about going, because things were annoyingly unclear and indefinite. We had no idea what exactly would happen while we were there. Long story short, we basically had a fit with the "head" surgeon there, and scheduled and appointment with my surgeon here at home, where we later scheduled my hip replacement for February 14th.
The following week, I was taken out of my high school officially and put on an online course. When surgery finally rolled around, oddly enough I wasn't nervous at all to go in, but was actually quite happy. It says a lot when a teenager has to undergo such a major operation and is truly happy about it.
I remember the day that I came home from the hospital on the third day after surgery. It was probably the only moment I really remember through all of the pain medicines they had me on that week. At the hospital they taught me a certain way to go up and down stairs with my walker. Unfortunate for us, the walker and the stairs are quite different and the technique didn't work. At all. I had gotten up on the first step, and then I struggled with the rest of the stairs with my mom pulling me up by the arm. On the last step I told my mom that it was all a mistake. I shouldn't have had the surgery and I should have just lived with it. That it wasn't worth it.
She told me that I didn't know what I was talking about, that it would gradually get better from then on, but I didn't believe her. The week following that was quite a tough one; I was progressing though I didn't see it myself.
Come to the one month anniversary of my surgery, I really noticed how well I was doing. I had begun to challenge myself after I had gotten home. I knew that sitting around and doing nothing would help absolutely nothing. There are times now, when I don't even realize I'm challenging myself. For example, last week I was cleaning my room, and I flopped down on the floor and crawled under my bed, not even thinking about it for a second. I got up perfectly fine.
I know this blog is getting rather long, and probably boring, but I seriously think there is a point here.
I think if we challenge ourselves, similar to what Alex described in his video about the people he met in Zambia, then we can overcome and achieve anything we want in life. It seems a bit ridiculous at first when you think about it, but you have to break it down into mini challenges almost, and work through them one by one.
If you want to check out the World Vision Vloggers, just head on over here.
And to learn more about World Vision and how you can sponsor a child or help donate around the world, head on over here.
Each person has a story to share, and everyone can learn something from someone; even if it's the tiniest thing.
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