Go for the Peak

      
Three U.S. veterans have conquered Mt. Kilimanjaro – with only one good leg among them. The image of them at the top of the mountain can inspire our hearts with their courage, perseverance, and power of positive intention. Two men each lost both their legs: Dan Nevins, 39, in Iraq, and Neil Duncan, 26, in Afghanistan. Kirk Bauer, 62, lost one leg in Vietnam, in 1969. All use prosthesis. They hiked to the top of Africa’s highest peak, at 19,330, to show that disability need not lead to inactivity. According to Bauer: “If we can climb Kilimanjaro, our other disabled friends can get out and go hiking or go biking or swim a mile, can get out and lead a healthy life.”(quoted in The Week magazine, August 27. Pg 2)
      Those of us with two good legs can not only get out and gratefully exercise more, but we can take in and reflect on the power of the image these guys looked to: they saw themselves on top of that mountain, kept that goal in view, and did not let a multitude of obstacles deter them from their path. Whatever goal we want to accomplish, we can follow their example. And share the power of intention and imaging with everyone who will listen.