Falling Down

A few days ago, I was walking downtown and I noticed a man in front of me with a huge limp--most likely a birth defect of some nature. All of a sudden, he fell down. By the time I was able to reach him to help him, he'd already managed to pull himself up off the hard concrete and dust himself off. My heart broke for him when I realized that no one else had offered him any help, or even a second look, for that matter!

I asked him if he was alright. He laughed it off and said he was used to falling down, but he really appreciated me asking. I got the impression that he wasn't used to people showing him much concern when he stumbled.

We talked briefly and we went our separate ways, but I couldn't stop thinking about him. Here was a man who was used to falling down over and over, yet not only did he pick himself back up, but he also managed to see the humor in his situation.

Tonight, I'm thinking about that man once again, as my body is overcome with pain and I can no longer deny that my own body is stumbling once again from Lyme disease. It is not abrupt like an actual fall, but rather, I've been falling in slow motion for a few weeks now. However, I can no longer deny it: I am relapsing.

As I struggle to come to terms with what this means for me and my family, I draw from the strength of the man who fell down and picked himself back up again.



"Fall down seven times, get up eight times."  Japanese proverb.