What’s the Plan Today?

With Gratitude to Christopher Reeve

His Legacy

The report of Christopher Reeve’s death was the first news item I heard yesterday morning.  The newscasters said his legacy was not his acting career, but the way he championed the crusade to find a cure for paralysis.  I recalled hearing Christopher Reeve speak at a seminar I attended four years ago.  He said he had discovered that “you can do a lot more than you think” and that it’s amazing what inner resources we have that we don’t even know about.  He came to understand that our relationships are “more important than doing stuff.”  I believe his openness to these lessons and his very decision to live are the heart of his legacy.

His legacy is how he accepted a life that he never would have imagined or chosen, and recognized it as an opportunity to impact others, both those close to him and many more.

Waking Up To Reality

Christopher Reeve believed strongly in the discipline of positive thinking.  He said that when he dreamed at night, he never once saw himself as paralyzed.  He would often dream of sailing and, sometimes, of making it through a storm.  An interviewer asked him what it was like to wake up every morning with the realization that he was indeed paralyzed.  He said that yes, there was that moment of grave disappointment with the reality of his circumstances, but that he would then ask himself, “What’s the plan today?”

Think Like A Hero

A vision of the future can be something that motivates or causes worry and fear.  Christopher Reeve held a vision of walking again which inspired him and yet most certainly, some days, waking up to thoughts of the future must have been fraught with fear.

Asking, “What’s the plan today?” ensures you don’t get too far ahead of yourself.  What is possible just for today?  What can you look forward to within your day?  What will you have the courage to begin?  Heroes make the decision to live every day.