Broken but not beaten

The other day my brother-in-law was feelin' a bit domesticated...so i thought i'd take him out to the bush so that we could be men. And what better way to show that your a man than to throw big rocks off a cliff. Come on, we all love doing it. Anyways, as we were performing this manly act, a large boulder slipped out of my hand and crushed one of my fingers. Naturally i let out a somewhat girlish scream in agony. Thinking, as usual, "oh no big deal" i tried to ignore it...until i bumped it on the car door. Again, i then yelled. I knew something was wrong. Later that night, amused by the colour of my finger, being purple and yellow, i decided to go to the hospital and get it checked out. Yup, a big 'ol crack across the bone at the tip of my finger. Let me tell ya, it does wonders for rock climbing. However, all has not been lost. I can still hold onto my ice axes and crank just as hard. It just hurts a "touch" when doing so.

I was at a fundraiser tonight, supporting a guy who's going across Canada to raise awareness on this gnarly desease he has. Basically, his organs are turning to "stone". So Loki stepped up to support "Scott" on his venture across the country, outfitting him with all the apparel he needs to stay warm and safe. It was great to speak at this gala as it was inspiring and encouraging. Coming home the rain was turning me off from going outside and training in the gym. Sitting down on the couch, nice and cozy with a movie on sounded much more appealing. But again...my passion, my focus...it goes so much deeper and so, yes...i went outside and trained instead. Scott is going to die any day but he keeps pushing because he has passionate goals. He doesn't want to give up because his heart is too big to "let go". Amazing the courage he displays. I realized, after being at the fundraiser tonight, that my broken finger...it's no big deal. I just need to be careful that i don't bump it too hard. There are people out there with much more sevear injuries and illnesses...i really don't need to complain about my little injury.

It's courage, strength, focus. It's passion, indurance, and heart. These are gifts that have been given to us. These are gifts that can carry us through anything. We just need to keep our eyes on where these gifts came from in order for us to understand them and apply them properly.