Here's an inspirational story from etruth.com about dedication and overcoming obstacles - in effect what martial arts is all about.
I sure need these kind of reminders when I might be tempted to feel sorry for myself or come up with excuses. What about you?
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Indiana -- 53-year-old Linda Koeppel might not move as quickly or kick as high as others in her taekwondo class. However, the Elkhart woman is using her slower speed to move past a disability that limits her ability to move her legs.
Koeppel battles a condition which causes loss of muscle tone and unpredictable burning, stabbing or dull pain in most of her right leg and some of her left. The condition, called 'reflex symptomatic dystrophy' does that she experiences pain in each step, and some days she doesn't make it out of the house.
She has to sit down and stop exercising every 10 to 15 minutes. "As you can see, my training takes longer than someone who can just come in here and train hard," she said.
Just getting to the gym can be a struggle. She wants other people fighting disabilities to know she feels their pain -- literally -- but that they can still enjoy exercise. "If it takes 20 minutes to put one sock on, that's OK," she said.
Training has helped her ward off the depression that set in shortly after she couldn't move around and drive normally.
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