I know that the Paralympics ended some weeks ago, and to be honest, I was very surprised at the lack of coverage of these events. While we were on vacation, I saw Spirit Magazine. This is the Southwest Airlines in-flight magazine. On the cover was Oksana Masters.
At first, it just looked like your everyday story of how someone made it in to the Paralympics (to be honest, I wasn’t really paying too much attention until I picked up the magazine). Oksana’s story was not only about what she had endured at an orphanage in the Ukraine but, also about her disability and how it led her to compete in adaptive rowing.
It’s a shame that there is such a lack of coverage in the media of the Paralympics.   The general public not only misses out on hearing about the great triumphs that come to the athletes because of their participation in these events, but they also miss the background stories that can inspire people to reach for their goals.
To me, it is important to know that we are not alone in the world. What I just wrote may sound silly but, there are a lot of people who are isolated in their homes because of daily barriers they face. Maybe others don’t have those same barriers to contend with but still feel isolated from the rest of the world.  This also happens to people a lot these days because of the technological age in which we live. This made me realize that there are a lot of untold stories from the Paralympics and Oksana’s is just one of them.
Stories such as this one give encouragement to many different types of people.   It lets them know they should never give up on their dreams, no matter how distant or unattainable they seem.
What are your sources of inspiration?
Thanks for reading..
cr