thankful for perspective

This is the time of year when we think about things we are thankful for. I’m most thankful for pretty much the same things every time, including my readers, my friends, New York City, and the fact that daylight hours will start increasing in less than a month. But this year, I am tremendously thankful for someone new.

That person is Aron Ralston.

I saw 127 Hours two days ago and my chin is still on the floor. Not only is the movie based on Aron’s actual experience of being trapped in a canyon for five days, but he is played by James Franco. So of course I had to go see.

The amazing thing about Aron is that he cut off his own arm to escape the boulder it was pinned under. And he did this with a dull switchblade.

Aron tells about his ordeal here:

I’m way thankful for Aron. I’m thankful for his courage. I’m thankful that he’s here with us to tell his story. And I’m thankful for the way his experience can help us to keep the little annoyances of our daily lives in perspective. Aron Ralston epitomizes the advice to never give up.

Aron said that he had an epiphany while he was trapped. He realized that life is about relationships. So here’s a relationship connection that is blowing my mind. The day Aron cut himself free was May 1, 2003. May 1, 2003 was my 30th birthday. It was also the day my Gram died. She was basically my whole family and I knew she was going to die on my 30th birthday and while all this was happening Aron was cutting off his arm to save his life.

Now, I’m sure there are lots of people who’d say all of that means nothing. But I’m someone who believes in the Energy. I believe that the Energy connects us in meaningful ways. And I believe that, in some cosmic way, Aron’s determination to hold onto this life and never let go is meant to influence anyone who feels like this life thing is just too hard. I know how that feels. I know how it feels to want to give up. But we can’t. Because Aron never did. In a way, we owe it to everyone who is no longer with us to live our lives that much more meaningfully.

So yeah. Let’s do this thing. Let’s remember that a long line at the post office is a minor, temporary inconvenience. Let’s work towards being the best possible version of ourselves. And of course let’s never, ever give up.

See? I’m always thankful for a powerful non-coincidence

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