Sunday, November 27, 2011

NO EXCUSES

  There is a song that I like that has as one of its lines, "And when you have the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance".   Now, as I read those lines, I think of those who are physically unable to dance or to even move very much, but  I hope that they have JOY in their lives, which is really what that song is saying to me.  There was the most amazing story recently on the news about a young man from Buford, Georgia,  who climbed Stone Mountain in October.  His name is Kyle Maynard and he has written a book called "No Excuses".  Here is the link to his website: www.kyle-maynard.com .  He was born with shortened limbs, with his arms just to his elbows and his legs just to his knees.  Now, you would think that climbing Stone Mountain would be difficult enough but that is just in preparation for his goal of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.   Yes, you just read that right, he plans to climb Mt KILIMANJARO!!!  By doing this, he plans to raise money for children with disabilities in Africa. 


Please watch this video above.  The people who were walking beside him that day were inspired and  one of them took a photo of him saying that she wanted to show that photo to people who said they COULDN'T climb the mountain!  This reminded me of the line from Ralph McTell's  " Streets of London" song,  " And how can you tell me that you're lonely, or say for you that the sun don't shine.  Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London, I'll show you something, to make you change your mind."  He wrote that song about the homeless in London but the woman's remark on the mountain about Kyle Maynard  very much says the same thing...

So, have you climbed your mountain lately, either physically or figuratively?


NO  EXCUSES!

12 comments:

  1. No mountain that I have climbed today, I must admit, neither figuratively speaking nor literally, but I agree with Kyle - "no excuses"!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Librarian,
    There is such bad news on TV these days. I was glad when I saw this. I wish I had timed it just right so I could have met this young man.
    He plans to climb Mt. Killimanjo in January, so look out for the rest of the story at that time!
    Hope you are getting all your exercise these days! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. After watching that video all my puny little excuses are empty to say the least. Great post! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ron,
    Thank you! Me and you both!
    Look at his website. He also works with veterans who have lost limbs. A remarkable person...why is it that we have Hollywood starlets on the front page news, but not this young man?

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is an inspiring video, and a VERY inspiring guy.

    By the way my brain is clearly frying, I put a comment here that was intended for someone else, which is why I deleted it, in case you were wondering what the deleted comment said! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jenny,
    Thanks for telling me why you deleted the comment before it. I'm not sure I even know how to do that myself!
    I will let you know when I have an update on Kyle! Check out his website when you get the chance. I think he is amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you for sharing the video. Kyle is an inspiration. I will have to check out his book. I think that we give up so easily, but could all learn a lesson from this young man. Drop by for a visit. Enjoyed your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Pomona,
    Thanks for commenting! I think his story is amazing, and I just wish it would make front page news!

    ArtyMarti,
    Thanks for your comment. I just looked at your blog and it is lovely! So happy to meet you! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Replies
    1. He is amazing, since I wrote this post in 2011, Kyle has become very well known. I just looked him up and he is doing very, very well. Good for him!

      Delete