Perspective

I met a woman at the bank today. Her left leg was missing from the knee down, her left hand was immobile, and her head was permanently tilted at an angle that seemed like a recipe for constant neck pain. She was interested in everyone around her, learning their names and comparing accents.

Before she left, she told me a bit of her story. She was nearly 50 and had an automobile accident when she was 17 and she had some advice for me. I didn't hear a bit of self-pity in her words, just a desire that I would benefit from her experience.

She said, "You can clap with both hands, drive a car, and hug someone's neck with both arms. Don't take a bit of that for granted."