THE POWER OF POSITIVE BLAH BLAH BLAH 😊
Life, my friends, is a journey filled with unexpected
twists and turns. Each one of us faces challenges that sometimes seem impossible
(especially without legs), whether they be financial, health-related, or
matters of the heart.
Come with us on a journey through our own experiences - a journey that echoes the strength that is within each of us.
Have you ever attended or listened to a motivational
speaker or read their books? Of course, so have I.
So, tell me, how long did the hype of the moment last?
A few days? A week? A month? How long before you found yourself back where you
were before, if not worse than before, because of your high expectations in
yourself and the words of someone else?
Well, I don’t see myself as a motivational speaker. I
am an ENERGIZER promoter!
I’m here to help you and show you how to reload your battery.
When I was 10 years old, I was sentenced to a life of ailments
and a very predictable future regarding my health. Professor van Rooyen was the
medical doctor at HF Verwoerd Hospital in Pretoria when I was diagnosed. He
said the following to me: (remember I am 10 years old)
- You have type 1 diabetes and will
need to inject yourself a few times every day for the rest of your life
(75 000 injections so far)
- You will not grow old or die
naturally
- You will probably end up with either heart
failure or kidney failure or both.
- You will most likely lose a limb or
two.
- One morning you might wake up and be
blind.
Wow, that’s a lot for a 10-year-old to digest.
- Quadruple heart bypass surgery,
including a metallic heart valve fitment (side effect – insomnia and a handful
of pills)
- 7 amputations – starting with toes
and ending in legs.
- Celiac’s Disease
- Loss of sight in my left eye
- Diabetic neuropathy and muscle loss in my hands
Not a very encouraging picture ☹
So, why am I sharing all of this with you? Definitely not
to discourage you. So why then?
Because I have an ENERGIZER!!! And I can’t keep this
to myself.
Before I explain what I mean by an Energizer, let me
point out that I have suffered with chronic depression all my life. I wanted to
commit suicide a few times, but thankfully didn’t succeed. I often hear people
say that it’s a coward that takes his life, but it’s not and I’m angered by
this ignorant statement.
Getting back to the Energizer:
So, what is an Energizer?
Dictionary: Someone who
imparts energy and vitality and spirit to other people.
Let me explain: We are living beings, running on
energy like batteries. Our batteries run flat from time to time. Some people
have the ability to bounce back without too much fuss. Some people struggle to
re-energize themselves; some never recover. I have seen this especially with
fellow amputees.
The solution to a flat, rundown battery is to find a
recharging point and this is what I have come to share with you today.
You do not possess a recharging point within yourself;
you need to find it.
In the 17th century John Donne said: No
man is an island, and it’s exactly that. We cannot thrive or grow alone. We
recharge each other on a daily basis. Whether it’s your spouse, your friend,
your pet or a Life coach. Find the person that helps you to recharge, that
helps you find your strength, that helps you re-energize.
You might say: “I find my strength in a higher power.”
Great for you, but here’s where I need MORE than faith. I need my 5 physical
senses. If religion is important to you, do it. I’m not here to discredit what
you believe in.
What I am trying to say is that you need to connect
with someone physically. Someone you can touch, hear and converse with. I found
that connection in my wife. She is my Energizer. She’s the one who never gives
up on me, encourages me, feels my anguish, ignores my cursing. She allows me to
express myself, reminding me constantly that I’m not alone.
My Energizer is a beautiful, real, loving, caring
human being.
In 2018 my health took a serious turn for the worst.
Things I had previously paid little attention to suddenly became a massive
problem. During this time, I was still the owner of a mechanical workshop and
the leading mechanic. Tanja was the administrator and organizer in the business
and even did the diagnostics on the vehicles. I became listless and weak, lost
my appetite and felt an overall un-wellness. My GP referred me to a heart
specialist who ran a series of tests and discovered that my aortic valve had
packed up. I knew a lot about valves but this was a different ball game.
I was hospitalized and underwent a quadruple bypass as
well as an aortic valve replacement – a metallic valve, to be specific. One
which keeps me up at night unless I take serious sleeping tablets.
Following this, the amputations started. Toes, one by
one; half a foot (which was the biggest and most painful mistake ever) and then
the legs. Little by little, one at a time. Thankfully it wasn’t all at once,
which allowed us to adjust slowly to the loss of limbs. It still wasn’t easy.
Remember, I’m a driven, hard-working diesel mechanic, setting the pace in the
workshop every day.
Before I had even lost my second leg, we decided to
sell the workshop. The stress and anxiety were overwhelming. Not only could I
not do what I had done before but the frustration of battling to do a job drove
me bat-shit crazy.
We decided to start a niche, upmarket wine and gin
bar. A classy but easy-going place. We put all our funds into the shop-fitting
and stocking of our new enterprise. The idea was to get it up and running,
build it up and sell it, then follow our children to Portugal.
Covid! Covid! Covid! What more can I say? A plandemic
of serious proportions! Before even opening our doors, Covid-19 hit us. To make
a long, sad and desperate story short, we lost everything. We walked out of
that place with the clothes on our backs and what was left after selling all
our furniture. The bank repossessed our car and still hound us for money to
this day.
Loss of material possessions. Loss of income. Loss of
health. Loss of legs. Loss of our precious children, who had already left the
country. We felt distraught, alone and afraid, to say the least.
You might think to yourself now: Wow! I’m sure things
could not have gotten worse for these people? But wait, there’s more! My
father-in-law used to have a saying: cheer up, things could get worse. So, I
cheered up, and sure enough, things got worse.
On the 29th of April 2023 I slipped on the
garage floor after washing the car. I shattered my femur and fractured my
pelvis. I wished to die. I wanted to end my life.
Tanja came to me with the following ENERGIZING words:
It is not death that you crave. What you crave is more LIFE.
I had to learn to walk … AGAIN!
It’s been 8 months since that disastrous day and here I am, walking again and not just that, I’m covering about 6 km per day!!!
Here are some valuable lessons I’ve learned while
learning to walk with prosthetic legs:
• Don’t
look back, you’ll lose your balance
• Keep
your eyes on the road ahead of you to avoid the potholes
• There are some things you can’t change, make peace with that.
The weight of financial responsibilities can be
crushing, but it's crucial to remember that you are not alone in this struggle.
Come. Come, let me share with you the lessons we've learned.
There were times when bills piled up, the banks phoned
10 times a day and the future seemed dismally uncertain. But with determination
and creativity, we found various ways to try to make ends meet. With both of us
being self-employed for the last 25 years, we found ourselves unemployable, so we
had to embrace multiple income streams and turn various ideas into
opportunities.
I am a diesel mechanic by trade and that is all I have
ever known. Finding new ways to generate an income was as challenging as
learning to walk again.
Remember, your potential is vast, and there are often
undiscovered talents within you waiting to be uncovered.
Living with chronic health conditions is undoubtedly tough, but it's essential to focus on what you can control. Together, we adapt and find new ways to survive despite our limitations. I say OUR because my limitations become my wife’s limitations. We deal with issues together.
When we run out of options, which has happened a few
times, we speak up and ask for support, while finding a way around the problem
at hand. Not everyone knows how to speak up. They’re either too proud OR afraid
of rejection OR they simply don’t feel worthy.
Well,
- There have been times when we had no
food – we spoke up!
- No vehicle with which to do our job –
we spoke up!
- In need of prosthetic legs – we spoke
up!
- Medical assistance – we spoke up!
- A place to live – we spoke up!
AND WE WERE HEARD!!
People helped us because they saw our determination,
effort and the will to keep going. We were down, but we still tried our best to
get up.
Seek support, when necessary, stay proactive in
managing your health, and remember that every small victory is a step forward.
In times of financial hardship, health crises, or relationship woes, it's easy to feel isolated. DON’T isolate yourself. Don’t try to climb out of the pit by yourself. Find your Energizer. Connect. Move.
I want to leave you with a TO DO LIST: (an Energizing TO DO LIST)
- Eat healthier
- Drink water
- Breathe deeply (even if it’s a deep
sigh). It helps to release negative energy.
- Spend time in nature or taking in the
wonder of every sunset
- Smile (even if you don’t feel like
it). A smile is contagious and is AS good for your battery as for the receiver
- Walk every day (or whatever exercise
works for you)
- Greet people (as you walk). People pass
people and never think to say Hi. We’ve made so many connections with so many
amazing people on our daily walks because we greet every single person we pass.
- Spend time with positive people. It
rubs off.
- SHARE your energy. It’s not yours to keep. When you get it, share it. It’s that constant exchange that causes the Energizer experience to grow.
Now, Get ENERGIZED! You cannot jump-start someone when
your battery is flat.
Find your Energizer,
Then be an Energizer. Help to jump-start someone
else’s battery by sharing.
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