Second Acts that Change Lives - Wake Up! Life's Half Over! - Page 21

come back with self-respect with new power. With an advanced experience, that shall explain and overlook the old.

Crossing the finish line, I stopped a moment to give thanks to my friends who had died, Vince, Cara, and my cousin Patrick; to my friends and my children who came to the event to cheer us on; to the ones who got me in the race. I learned that even out of the deepest losses . . . you can get into the race again. You can cross a new finish line . . . but you can never do it alone.

One of my favorite books as a teen was Brian Piccolo: A Short Season, about the Chicago Bears football player who faced cancer with such courage. I gave it to my son, Thomas, because I want him to find heroes in life like Brian Piccolo, who show courage every single day.

I take the swimmer card with me now each day, along with the memory of my two friends and my cousin. My hope is that overcoming my own fears is a way to honor the gift they have given me  —  the appreciation of every minute of living. And, I hold on to these words from Brian Piccolo in all my struggles: “You can’t quit. It’s a league rule.”

We all have the power to change our worlds, and the power to help others do that. The triathlon was just the beginning for me. I’m now exploring all kinds of opportunities to use my gifts and talents to make the world a better place, to let go of a 9-to-5 job that keeps me from doing so, to venture into the unknown. I can’t wait to explore, to grab on to what lies ahead.