I Know for a Fact I Can Do It

Remember that book I mentioned back in December called No Excuses?  The author, Kyle Maynard, is still living his motto.  Despite being born with legs that end above the knees and arms that end above the elbows, Kyle has never let anything stop him.  He doesn't view himself as different, and can do nearly anything an able-bodied man can do, including wrestling, which is why he didn't back down from the challenge to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.  As part of an expedition that was carrying the ashes of a fallen soldier to the top of the mountain, Kyle made the grueling trek crawling on all fours with "footwear" to protect the ends of his arms and legs.  If you thought bear crawls after a wrestling practice were hard, imagine doing it for 19,341 feet on an incline!  An inspirational video on Youtube created by ESPN documents their climb:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czXTkNyzF98&feature=g-all&context=G2842901FAAAAAAAAAAA

After watching that movie, I couldn't help but feel energized throughout the day.  I felt that if Kyle could climb up a mountain, I had no business complaining about anything that was coming my way.  One great point Kyle made was when he discussed how discouraging it was to look up and think about how far he still had to go, until he looked back and realized how far he'd come.  Mountains are a perfect metaphor for wrestling training and for life.

The video also gave some background information and interviewed his family members.  One of his younger sisters had this to say: "Kyle's always had crazy dreams like that, but he goes out and he does them."  Many people have doubted Kyle throughout his life and before his latest journey.  Before the climbing team changed their route to a steeper ascent, the leader asked Kyle if he'd be okay with it.  His reply was: "I know for a fact I can do it." It just so happened that I noticed this quote for the first time today on a painting in one of the study rooms here on campus: "It will cost nothing to dream, but everything not to."

No excuses,
Jeff