Quite often, a physical injury has the potential to affect not only the victim of said injury, but those who know the individual as well. People may be miserable because the ones they love is hurt or maybe a family can’t afford to eat due to the decrease in income as the person can no longer work. Not often do people consider physical pain as something that can offer new, positive opportunities.
However, as luck may have it, injury can benefit more than just insurance companies. A friend of mine tore a ligament in his knee recently and it made me happier than I’ve been in a very long time.
Whoa, what did I just say? Am I really so sadistic as to claim that I am actually happy because a friend of mine is in pain? Am I that cruel?
As with everything, there is a story that goes along with all of this.
The Story of New Opportunities
My friend and I were helping a community service event held at our school’s campus. Innocently enough, we were in charge of giving people footballs and retrieving them. While going for a football, my fellow man took a quick misstep and his kneecap went out of place.
Of course, as goofy as I am, I did not even recognize the urgency of the situation for almost a minute as he sat there on the floor. We waited for the paramedics to arrive and decided that I would drive him home so a family member can take him to urgent care. Afterwards, I decided not to go back to school for the event and drove back home.
The End.
No, that’s not really the end because there is so much more.
When I got home, I decided to begin writing my resume; a simple task I have been dreading and delaying for as long as I could. I had no more excuses as to why I couldn’t do it.
Turns out, starting Self Stairway has taught me many valuable skills that I’ve mentioned very recently. Using these skills, I’ve joined two very promising companies that both have amazing things to teach and offer me, such as perfecting the art of writing, creating complete press releases, connections with professionals, and even meeting executives of big clients such as Google!
Many opportunities are opening for me and many more on the way. All of this in the span of a few weeks thanks to the pain of a friend.
As a great friend, he’d probably even use his injury to attract women to me. I can imagine him sitting there, gripping onto his crutches that are laid against the table with a serious face. “Yeah, there he was, lifting the car off my leg. I don’t know how he did it, but he’s my hero.”
If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have any of these exciting opportunities and I learned that there’s more than the conventional ways to learn how to be happy. You are my hero. I sincerely thank you and hope you get better soon (so I don’t have to keep holding your things.)
It just goes to show that good things can come of bad, Vincent. If your friend’s really a friend, I’m sure he’ll be happy for you. It’s great that you’ve been making such positive, constructive steps to further your career – and I hope your friend’s recovering from his injury!
Sue
His exact words to me the day after reading it were, “While reading this I wanted to throw my phone at the screen but I couldn’t because at the same time I was cracking up.” I think he’s happy he had played a such an important role in my life, but he’s not going to say it outright.
He’s doing pretty well. My friends and I have been babying him as much as we could getting him around places. Still waiting on the results of the MRI though. Thanks, Sue!
Great story and points. I think it’s important to grow and learn from both success and failures we go through.
In this case, even through other people’s “failures.” Sue made a great point up there about how good things can come of bad. It’s not always so one-sided and there truly can be benefits reaped. Of course, hopefully when this happens, the person in the bad is not harmed too much.
Hey Vincent,
Good of you, you didn’t let it go but learnt and got opportunity and experience in life. You have whole life to face more things so Good luck . Take it as challenge
Hello Cj,
Thank you, but I don’t think I deserve that much credit though to be honest. I think it was another case of all the right seconds adding up that led to these sequences of cause and effect.
I’m pretty excited to see what else life has in store for me because really I’m still at the hill with all that potential just waiting for the momentum to speed up. It’s going to be an interesting year, that’s for sure!
Reminds me of a near fatal accident I had. Almost dying makes you look at life a whole different light.
Whoa, wanna share that story? Sounds interesting, Victor.