In Moonstruck (a must see), there is an extremely entertaining and poignant scene when Ronny Cammareri (played by Nicolas Cage) declares to Loretta Castorini (played by Cher) , “I love you” to which Loretta responds with two hard slaps and a sharp “Snap out of it”.
Let’s put things in perspective, shall we, and not be so damn dramatic. Although I have a “degenerative disease”, it is not life threatening. I don’t have the hideous big “C’. Nor do I have Lou Gehrigs disease or MS. So what’s a few aches and pains that vicodin and a hip replacement can’t cure!! The reality is, as a dear friend once said, I am loved, fed and safe. So, Joey ….. “Snap out of it!”
To make me feel more ashamed of my “woe is me” fatalism, I happened to see a Sunday morning program weeks ago that left a huge imprint on me. Prophetically enough, I watched it before my diagnosis. Maybe my inner “Joe” knew it would come in handy one day … perhaps this day. The story was about Dennis Walters. His story began as a young aspiring and gifted golfer on his way to winning many professional trophies. Nothing but promise lay ahead of him. His dreams were on track to be reality until one day on the course, he suffered a freak golf cart accident that left him paralyzed from his waist down. He couldn’t walk much less golf. To make a wonderful story way too short, he turned his passion for golf and his innate skill into an awesome display of courage and tenacity. He became a renown trick golf artist making incredible shots thrilling thousands all over the US. He triumphed because many told him he couldn’t. Now that is chutzpah!! “Chutzpah” according to me Yiddish friend, Webster, means “supreme self confidence” and in Dennis’ case, it was.
Another take away from the story was a beautiful tagline he uses ….. “If your dream doesn’t work out, find another one!” Hhmmm …maybe that is where I am on the State of “Be”ing cycle. Maybe I need to find another “be” to “wanna be” …. Do you think?
For more information about Dennis, see http://denniswalters.com
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Joe - inspiring post. I think that too often we forget that there isn't one magic "be" out there for us. We need to find a "be" that fits the hand we were dealt.
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