I absolutely fell in love with this book. I felt so moved by the author's story and really felt a connection to him because his language was so relatable and covnersational. I think the beginning of his story was the most touching to me because it showed the struggle of a kid and how he had to grow up so fast. I feel like in a way I could understand his situation having had a child at a very young age, forced to grow up before my time. When Sanford talked about his relation to his mother I felt so touched because he really connected in such a mature way to the situation he was placed in. I think the task of his mother when he was in the hospital at 13 was harder than his own journey in a way. I can't imagine having to watch my son suffer like he did while dealing with the lost of another child and my husband. She must truly be a strong and courageous woman to have endured all that she did while composing herself and motivating her son to want to live without two of his limbs.
When I was 12 years old I was hospitalized for a blood disorder called HSP. It caused the blood vessels in my legs to over react and pop causing internal bleeding and slowly it creeped up toward my kidneys. I missed most of my 7th and 8th grade but miraculously passed and went on to complete high school relatively unscathed. However I still remember those two years as hell for me. I lost so many friends, none of them drove to the hospital to come see me and my parents were so stressed that the pressure of the family falling apart felt like it was on my shoulders.
I also felt so concerned for Sandel's older brother who was burdened with growing up sooner than his time as well and ignored as the healthy child. I feel like my twin sister felt the same way. Neglected and forced to console herself I also felt like I was personally responsible for her sorrow and the reason for some of the built up resentment she had latter on in our lives. Luckily Sandel wasn't faced with this awkward situation and was comforted by his brother.
When Sandel talked about the memory he had of his sister Laura Kathleen, I thought it was so sweet that he had such a close connection with his sister who was so much older than him. When he talked about his sister visiting his dreams and giving him messages I felt like it was his subconcious masked in a beautiful disguise. However it was so eerie to hear all the hidden signs that Sandel was faced with just days before the crash. For example, finding out that his girlfriend's older brother wa paralyzed, his sister talking about dying and his mother forseeing herslef having another lover that was not Sandel's father. Sometimes I feel like these thoughts that come into our minds are just inner-feelings that we subdue on a daily basis but sometimes they fight their way to the top and become relevant memories/moments in our lives. At other times I believe that these glimpses into our future are a gift from God to lead us the right way steer us clear of obstacles and dangers. However I feel like Sandel's description of his visions and family's clues were really just by chance scnearios that were looked back on at latter times after the accident and connected to it.
I really enjoyed the journey of Sandel recovering and who his role models were and how they taught him to heal in different ways. It was nice to know that he was able to recieve glimpses of hope and inspiration from them to keep pushing for a future life that he was not familiar with. Most of the questions that he asked were so innocent yet mature that I really sympathized with him. For example when he asked Dennis about sexual activity and how the parapalegics he met still continued to have relationships with their wives. Or the questions about the different kinds of wheel chairs that are available, how the axles affect how smooth the ride is and how much upper body strenght all his role models have. It was astonishing to see how intuned Michael was to minute details about the people he met during this period in his life. He notes particular mustaches, moles, muscles, and hair styles. I guess since he lost mobility in two of his limbs he gained insight into more of his other senses. I think I was very shocked to see Sandel take such a differnt role in his life after his recovery. He talked about Steve so highly, noting his athletic body and winning multiple gold medals at the worldwide Paralympics that I for sure thought that he would go on to pursue an athletic career because he was so intuned with his own body. I suppose that in a way that is why he turned to Yoga and connected to his body from the inside out.
I think that the one passage that caught my attention more than anything in the book was: "When I watch relatively healthy people ride the moving sidewalks in airport terminals or take an elevator up a single floor, I wonder about these choices. When I trade the feeling of warm water running over my hands for the convenience of a dishwater I know that I am losing something" (Sandel 117). This one passage made me feel so ungrateful for all the times that I chose to use the elevator rather than walk up the stairs, or skip physical training with ROTC to gain a few more minutes of sleep in the morning. There are so many things that I take for granted and his innocent description of this really enlightened this feeling within me, a feeling of taking advantage of my body to my fullest ability, really appreciating all that I am given by God and all the opportunities that I have been given in my life that others have not been.
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