Inspiration

As I rode my bike to work this morning I knew I was going a little slower than usual and I was thinking to myself "Ugghh I have to do this 2 days in a row if I wanna get my promised 2 in for this week!"  Then I thought about my brother he does a very similar commute to this EVERY DAY of the year.  Through cold, hot, wind etc.  He doesn't own a car and commutes everywhere on his bike.  I truly admire his gumption not only in this area but every part of his life.  He is my younger brother but I have found over the last 10 years or so I'm the one that is looking up to him. 

I remember a year we had record snow storms for our city I was in Colorado and roads and businesses were closed for something like 4 days and he had a work emergency with no cabs willing to drive or buses running he had no choice but to try and bike to his work in several feet of snow and COLD temps.  About half way there he saw a lone car out and offered them $20 to give him a ride the rest of the way.  They said their daughter also had to go to work and they'd be happy to do it for free.  He's built 2 of his own bikes that are single gear and has a folding bike for days he has to take the bus.  He rarely accepts a ride from me or others and is very resourceful.  The more I thought about it the more I told myself to get over it and buck up! 

When I did my IM in 2008 I had raised money for a toxoplasmosis research center in honor of my brother.  See he was born with this parasite and it caused him to have scars in his eyes that are not reversible.  He is legally blind in one eye and has scars in both eyes and can't see or read things clearly unless it is very close to his face.  He has not for a minute let this slow him down.  I do sometimes see the affects it has on his life but all I do is look at him in awe as he has never let it get in his way!  The research place I donated to is:  http://toxoplasmosis.org/  They are very wonderful people and continue to keep me up to date on their progress.  Now they have tests for this when a child is born but at the time when my brother was born they didn't.  I guess I just felt overwhelming pride as I thought about my brother on my way to work this morning and wanted to share it.  I think he would be embarrassed if I shared this with him and he easily turns crimson red when embarrassed.  :-)

I know we all have our own obstacles and some are bigger hurdles than others but it's always nice to have a reminder that it's amazing what the human spirit is capable of when we use determination!  One of my favorite go to inspirational stories is Team Hoyt if you've never seen it it's a must!