Inspiration in unlikely places

I truly believe that with everyone you meet that you have one of two options. 

You can either brighten their day or you can damper their day. 

Working in the position that I have no one enjoys seeing me. They walk through the door with a sour attitude and are usually not pleasant. I love the challenge of turning their day around and having each person walk away with a completely different attitude than the one they had walking in. 

In the process of this, I have a chance to meet some amazing people and hear some inspiring stories.

Today's was no exception. 

Meet Will.

As this mans number was called he stood up and looked around with a confused look upon his face (This happens often as people don't see my corner station) I gave a little wave and with a smile I spoke a little higher to let him know I was in the corner. He smiled and slowly hobbled over on his cane. 

Reaching my station he warmly greeted me and said thank you for helping him. He continued to tell me that since his accident he had gone just about blind and had trouble with the simplest of tasks. 

I took his documents and as I started with the task before me I innocently asked what had happened. 

(Little did I know..)

This man had been in a fatal horse accident back in the summer of '89. He was with a friend when he was bucked off and the horse stepped on the right side of his head. 

This left him half alive with his brains half out. (Sorry abut that gruesome detail) His friend who was with him was described as being about 5'6", had dragged him 200 ft to a tree so she could prop him up. 

She had called 911 but it took them 3 hrs to get to them. 

He was life-flighted to a hospital in California. He told me that during that time he was hooked to a machine but his heart had stopped. He mentioned that his sons mother was notified and had rushed to the hospital, reaching it at the same time he had. He described how they told her to go directly to the elevator that would take her to the roof so she could meet the helicopter but when the elevator doors opened she was stopped by them pushing him through on a gurney, his body was covered by a sheet with only his feet showing. 

He said that's how she knew it was him under that sheet..by his feet.  

He was on life support for a month in the hospital. 

Prior to this he had no belief in God or miracles. 

His sons mother had sneaked their son in his room so that he could see him. 

This man's eyes teared up as he continued to say that it was the sound of their sons crying that had awoken him from his coma. 

He went on to tell me that prior to this accident that he had given up on drinking & smoking and was told by the doctors that because he had a healthy stomach, etc that that what was able to support him while on life support. If he had continued in the habits he had he would not have made it. 

He went on to be in recovery for a year as he had to relearn everything, starting over was a struggle but he said with God's help and his new outlook that he was able to make it. 

By this point I was struggling to hold back my tears. The spirit you could feel with this man was overwhelming! 

He said he never believed in God, miracles or anything of that nature prior but since the accident he would be a fool to deny that God was real. He saved his life and that experience would forever change him. He was grateful for each day, even though he couldn't remember the past hour with his memory loss, or for the hobble with his cane, he was grateful to be breathing and to be alive. Each day. 

I love the opportunities I get to meet some of these inspiring people. You never know what struggle someone has been through or is going through at this exact moment!

He changed my morning, inspiring me a little more in my own life!

I hope this inspired you, as it did with me!