I carry with me an old movie ticket stub. Now, you may ask why do you carry an old ticket in your billfold? The simple answer is the ticket serves as a reminder of the power of friendship and the commitment two friends can have in life. The old ticket also reminds me that no matter how difficult life can get you can overcome it.
On the front of the ticket it simply says, “I’ll push you.” It is a reference to the movies title and the exchange Justin Skeesuck & Patrick Gray had when talking about the idea of traveling down the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile epic pilgrimage across the vast terrain of Northern Spain. What made it so different is that Justin has a form of muscular dystrophy and is wheelchair bound and it was Patrick who made the statement, “I’ll push you” when Justin had a question on exactly how they were going to pull it off.
Having some first-hand knowledge because my mother walked much of the Camino a few years ago, I know how difficult it is for a healthy person let alone while pushing someone in a wheelchair that distance. As someone who uses a wheelchair, I also know how difficult it can be to make one’s way and your sitting down and pushing yourself on flat ground!
It is easy to point to Patrick and say what I guy but, I think what the both of them did together is where the real story is. In a world that is increasingly focused on “it is all about me” it seems that personal and deep friendships seem less important today. Additionally, I believe we are becoming less willing to struggle together for the common good of “the both of us together.”
Maybe I am old school but, I still believe in the “the both of us together.” The movie and the ticket remind me of that when I look down at it and I still want to aspire to that goal. I wonder also what could we do and what changes would we see in our world if we chose to make a commitment to one or more friends that said, “I am here and I will not leave no matter what and I will do more than my share of the work so we both can experience life. In other words, I’ll push you! Friend.
Thoughts? E-mail: francisearly@francisearly.com
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