I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots. But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.
Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day. Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?
And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.
Thank you, Thank you very much. Thank you. That's the lowest I've ever seen Dick Vitale since the owner of the Detroit Pistons called him in and told him he should go into broadcasting.
Good news or bad news? It depends on how you see things. You can be bitter after being cheated. Or you can choose to move on with your life…
Robert De Vincenzo, the great Argentine golfer, once won a tournament and, after receiving the check and smiling for the cameras, he went to the clubhouse and prepared to leave. Some time later, he walked alone to his car in the parking lot and was approached by a young woman.
She congratulated him on his victory and then told him that her child was seriously ill and near death. She did not know how she could pay the doctor’s bills and hospital expenses.
A victory at the race in December 2010 would guarantee 16-year-old Holland Reynolds' California track team a state championship. But just feet from the finish line, Reynolds collapses. A race official, who runs immediately to her side, explains to her that if she wants to finish the race, she can perhaps crawl enough to get one foot over the line--but if she gets assistance from anyone, she would have to be disqualified. Stunning the crowd, Reynolds pulls herself up and crawls toward the finish. In a dramatic, inspiring end, Reynolds crosses the finish line on hands and knees and crosses fast enough to secure the state championship for her team. "I just wanted to cross the line," Reynolds explained to ABC News.
He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.
I decide to bite my tongue instead of his and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests that it's also true what they say about lawyers.
Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.
"I mean, you're a teacher, Taylor," he says. "Be honest. What do you make?"
"Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect. " -- Vince Lombardi
"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." -- Vince Lombardi
"Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price." -- Vince Lombardi
With so many people in the world telling us we can't succeed, we need to hear people telling us we can.
I remember my high school English teacher telling me not to apply to Cornell University because they wouldn't accept me and even if they did I wouldn't be able to do the work. (It's funny that I'm a writer now).
Inspire 21 Inspiring Words for the 21st Century
"Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect. " -- Vince Lombardi
