Tag Archive for 'lance armstrong'

Since I have a few minutes, I though I’d add a second post for today.

Since graduation, I’ve continued loving to read exactly what I want, rather than what I have to. Sunday, I picked up a copy of Lance Armstrong’s It’s Not About The Bike: My Journey Back To Life and have since devoured half of it. Those of you who know me well, know that I’m not a “hero” kind of guy. I’ve never really had a “hero” nor have I ever really wanted one; until now (though I was deeply inspired by Major Taylor). Though I have read only part of Lance’s story, I find myself in complete awe of the man. His story, as he tells it, is nothing short of amazing to me. I won’t go into the details here, but I will simply say that hearing things from his point of view makes his recovery and subsequent Tour de France wins (7 in total) that much more astounding. As such, I’ve decided that Lance and Major are my two heros. Both men overcame insurmountable odds to become two of the greatest cyclists ever and when life gets tough, I have them to remind me of the power of perseverance and the strength of the human spirit.

I’ve now read two works on Major Taylor and plan on reading all three of Lance’s books consecutively. In the past, I’ve been somewhat guarded about the idea of looking up to someone; I realized today that my reluctance isn’t looking up to someone, rather it is looking up to someone who I don’t deem worthy.

As narcissistic as that might sound, I’ve found only a few people I deem worthy of true adoration. Sadly, I work with people every day who have overcome odds as great as the two of these men, but because of the power differential inherent in a therapist/client relationship, I find myself hesitant to call them heros. Perhaps it is time to step outside of the criteria I long ago set for people to look at their accomplishments in the context of their life, not mine. Until I get to that point though, I’m happy to call Lance Armstrong and Major Taylor my heros.

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