Monday Pick Me Up – “Reaching for the Sky”

Shared By Carla

The video this week brought tears to my eyes!

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It was so difficult. We inched our way up, climbing the “Snake Path” of Masada, a fortress in the mountains of ancient Israel where the Jewish people held off the Roman emperor’s army for three years.

As in the days of Masada, my “trip” up the “Snake Path” was very difficult. However, I kept reminding myself as I inched up the path with my father, “The easy things in life are usually not worth doing.”

I had learned that lesson the hard way. I had been involved in an “accident,” that almost ended my life at the young age of 19. However, I did survive with much help and determination. Some say I have “turned surviving into thriving,” but I just try. I have disabilities as a result of the injury; however, I believe that all humans have some kind of disabilities.

I kept repeating that statement to myself as I attempted to climb the steep mountain. There were many places on the path where there was not enough room for both my father (who was holding me tightly) and myself to climb side by side. My father, therefore, held me perhaps even tighter as he followed me slowly- -VERY SLOWLY- -up the path.

As we climbed higher and higher, I was also remembering how difficult it had been to train for this climb. Months before, my father and I would climb the stairs of the tallest hospital (25 flights) in Houston, St. Luke’s Hospital. At the end of several months of training we had reached the point where we were climbing the hospital stairs 3 times in a row. Because of that exercise routine, I was breathing easily as I climbed much of the mountain, as I was basically in good shape. However, because of the very steep and often narrow paths, there were times when I, as well as my father, was having difficulty breathing because of tension and strained nerves.

However, as we approached the top of the “Snake Path” a broad smile came over my face at that moment. It did not matter how much I was hurting; also, it did not matter that we were thousands of miles away from our home in Houston; actually, for a brief moment in time nothing seemed to matter, except that I was able to accomplish my goal–climbing the steep fortress Masada.

Just then, as I was 20 steps from the top, I heard a group of Israeli soldiers at the top of Masada all applauding my achievement. (OK, I guess they might have also been clapping for my father.) I was so proud, not because I had climbed Masada and not because Israeli soldiers had applauded my achievement, but because I had achieved my goal.

Everyone in life has his own “mountains” to climb, some small, some big–but “mountains” nonetheless. I believe the important thing in a person’s life is trying to overcome one’s obstacles.

I thought about that as I reached the very top of Masada–and then I collapsed for a few minutes. Lying with my face to the ground I thought: “I did it. I did it.” However, I quickly realized that I had many more goals and different goals to still reach. But I smiled and thought, “Which one is next?”

Michael Segal

Michael Jordan Segal, who defied all odds after being shot in the head, is a husband, father, social worker, freelance author (including a CD/Download of 12 stories, read with light backgroud music, entitled POSSIBLE), and inspirational speaker, sharing his recipe for happiness, recovery and success before conferences and businesses. To contact Mike or to order his CD, please visit www.InspirationByMike.com and please take a moment to check out his youtube video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNeRqpaoNpQ you will be glad you did.