My Lesson In Humility

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I consider myself to be very faith-filled. I do a lot to be the person God created me to be. I also am someone that is a perfectionist. I over-plan everything, and I often forget that there are many things out of my control. Our lives can change in an instant. Our ten-year plan that we have carefully curated can be destroyed in seconds. What we do in those most groundbreaking times are what truly defines us as human beings.

I have been pretty quiet on this blog recently for a few reasons. The main one is that I have been waiting to process something that happened. A very close friend had a hiking accident over Labor Day Weekend. I was half-way across the country, and I was completely helpless. A twenty-year old dynamo that inspires and supports everyone she meets was now fighting to stay alive. 

I truly believe that her resilience and the thousands of prayers that have been sent her way have made this story a much happier one than I originally expected. In the last few weeks, she has proven to be the steel-willed, determined individual we all know her to be. We are no longer worried about paralysis, and in the last week she has demonstrated that she can still understand everything we say (including the laundry list of foreign languages she has dabbled in). 

What's next? Months of rehab to help her gain back full mobility, and most importantly, her voice. I was blessed to see my beautiful friend today, and it was the most uplifting experience. I wasn't sure if she would remember me or become agitated by her inability to fully communicate with me. She delighted us all when she lit up as my friend and I walked into her hospital room. 

At this point her biggest challenge is re-learning how to speak. As a highly intelligent individual, she is remaining humble and just accepting that this is a process. She is taking it day by day and trusting that in time, it will come. In time she will be able to not only say greet visitors, but also have full conversations with them.

I am so in awe of my friend. When I left her today, countless questions were racing through my mind...If I were in her situation, would I just simply trust in God's plan? Would I work as hard every day with only the hope that I would still be able to accomplish everything on my life's bucket list? Would I be a example of pure humility? To be honest, I am not sure if I would be any of those things. What I do know, is that I have a new hero, a friend who I will consider an even bigger overachiever, and yet another reminder that life is ephemeral. 

I am praying for the days when we can once again drink coffee and convince each other that maybe another pair of Warby's is necessary. I know that day will come. If anyone can get back to where they started from, it's her.