My husband is VERY physically fit:)
And I LIKE it!!!
Like, a LOT! 🙂
I’ve known him forever and he’s always been that way, even before the Army.
During our marriage, he’s had several major operations—some caused by his job and others, well he’s had some pretty major illnesses as well.
We went in a few years ago for a surgery and he was sitting in the triage area, calm as could be.
His heart rate was so low, the monitors were going off (and that’s TOTALLY normal when one is in SUPER good shape).
The nurse checking him in even commented about how he’d never seen one that low.
Me on the other hand? My heart rate would have been through the roof!
The same thing with his blood pressure and respirations.
They were great—and he was literally about to be wheeled back into surgery!
He wasn’t nervously talking—which was okay, because I was.
He was totally fine.
So, I asked him how he did it and I’d heard the answer before:
Rickie.
Who’s Rickie?
My husband’s uncle.
At 9 months old, he contracted polio.
He’s never walked, never sat up by himself, never bathed himself, wiped himself, brushed his own hair, shaved his own face. He’s never ran, never drove, never held a book to read by himself, never thrown a ball, never swung a bat. His whole life has been spent in a wheelchair or in a hospital bed, being cared for by family, always looking on. His torso is large, while his extremities are small and drawn in. He has a steel rod for a spine, so he can sit up straight. He is paralyzed, because he can’t move from the neck down, BUT he still has feeling and has control of body functions (if there’s a medical word for “can’t-move-from-the-neck-down-but-has-feeling”, I’ve never heard it).
His. Whole. Life.
He’s 56.
His parents were told when he was diagnosed that he wouldn’t live past the age of three.
He’s a rolling miracle!
He’s been poked on, prodded on, been put to sleep countless times, had his shoulder and femur broken by a nurse handling him too roughly (all while on a ventilator so he couldn’t express his pain–or her abuse). He’s had every test known to man, been in hospitals for months at a time, and has scars everywhere.
There’s nothing wrong with his mouth though! 🙂
And he has the most beautiful blue eyes you’ve ever seen.
So, my husband remains calm.
When faced with an obstacle or when he’s cold, wet, and hungry:
Rickie.
That’s how he gets through it.
His legs are tired from running: I bet Rickie would love to be doing this right now.
His body is fighting an illness: Rickie has been fighting his whole life, I can fight too.
Rickie, that’s his inspiration.
My Life as an Army Wife 
What an inspiring story. We all take life for granite sometimes. When in reality, we should look at those that have it much worse and think again. Thank you for sharing this! It made my day better for sure!
Thank you for reading! It’s a necessity to keep things in perspective…I fail at that all the time!
We all do, it’s part of life I think. 😉