Push Girls

I had a chance to check out this show, and perhaps it's just my perspective, but it doesn't seem to be out of the ordinary.  If anything, I think it's necessary to get people to think. We have to start somewhere, but does reality TV have to be the catalyst? It's official, I'm an old fart!
'Push Girls' Shows the Normal Lives of Women in Wheelchairs - The Atlantic

Louie Zamperini and Laura Hillenbrand Symbolize Mutual Admiration

This past Sunday, a segment on CBS Sunday Morning, warmed my heart. In honor of the Memorial Holiday, CBS profiled a WWII veteran named Louie Zamperini.  He is in his 90s, but lives with the zeal of anyone half his age.  Louie is someone I would be happy to know, and live by his example.  Check out the link and see for yourself:

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After viewing the video, I was moved to see that Louie, and Laura Hillenbrand forged a bond.  This bond was not through common experiences, but through the mutual understanding and respect for each other as human beings.  It was refreshing to see Louie and Hillenbrand lift one another up without bringing someone else down in the process, a quality visibly absent these days.

Unbroken, Hillenbrand's novel, is on my summer reading list.  The summer I have time to read it, might be years away.  I will work it in.  The important thing to remember about this work is that even though Hillenbrand did not experience Zamperini's pain, she respected him enough to want to learn about it.  She took it a step further, and wrote about it.  The power of the pen has given Hillenbrand a means to support herself and manage her own pain.  Hillenbrand, as many others with chronic fatigue syndrome, suffer in isolation because everyday activities, we take for granted, are very painful.  Getting out of bed is tough enough.  Some question the validity of chronic fatigue syndrome.  Until, you have the misfortune to experience it.

Hillenbrand has found a way to work with her pain and live her life, not unlike her friend, Louie.  Neither of them focuses on the differences of the other.  Instead, they concentrate on living life to the best of their ability, and live on their own terms.  Whether it's carrying an Olympic torch or writing a bestseller, never underestimate the abilities of any person.  We all have a purpose, and a place.  Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.  Zamperini and Hillenbrand are a shining example of what mutual respect can do for the human spirit. 

On that note, I want to pay my respects to my grandfather, Wilbert Wiese.  He served in Europe during World War II.  He never did speak of his time on the battlefield, but he was the strongest man I knew.  What I admired most about him was his strength in hardship.  Yes, he could be tough at times.  However, I recognize the lessons he was trying to teach me, and I am grateful for my time with him. 

1915-2004