.:: By John B Grimes
“Surviving meningitis turned out to be the easy part—so easy that I'd done it in my sleep. The seemingly impossible part was living life after surviving meningitis.”
When I reflect on those words, they resonate deeply within me because they are my own. They encapsulate a pivotal moment in my life, a moment when I realized that survival alone wasn't enough—that I had to embrace adaptation to truly thrive.
With the naivety of youth, I was under the illusion my sight would come back and my neurological dysfunctions would somehow vanish. They did not. Then it hit me: what’s the sense in waiting around for improvement that may never come? I must face the world as I am, not as I was. From that point onward, I did not wait for things to get better; I adapted. Adapting is the foundation of progress.
At 20 years old, facing the unexpected reality of permanent loss—of a future once imagined—was like being thrust into a dark abyss. I could have allowed despair to consume me, could have resigned myself to a life defined by what I had lost and believe you me, those were hard impulses to squash. But instead, I chose to confront adversity head-on.
The realization that waiting for improvement was futile sparked a profound shift in my mindset—a shift from passive acceptance to active adaptation. It was a journey of self-discovery, of learning to navigate a world that had suddenly not been built for me and become unfamiliar.
“Don’t wait” became my mantra, and adaptation my guiding principle. It wasn't about denying the challenges I faced or pretending they didn't exist; rather, it was about finding the strength within myself to overcome them. It was about embracing my circumstances and finding purpose in my new life.
In the face of darkness, literal or metaphorical, it's easy to feel overwhelmed, to succumb to despair. But I refused to let adversity define me. Instead, I chose to see it as an opportunity for growth, for resilience, for unwavering strength.
Life has a funny way of testing us, of throwing obstacles in our path. But it's how we respond to those obstacles that truly defines us. As the saying goes, "Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it."
To anyone facing their own battles, whether it be illness, loss, or unforeseen challenges, I offer this advice: Don't wait. Don't wait for circumstances to change, for a miracle to occur, for life to become easier. Instead, just do the next right thing. Embrace the art of adaptation. Find reassurance in your resilience, purpose in your perseverance, and optimism in your ability to overcome.
Adapting isn't always easy. It requires courage, determination, and a willingness to embrace change. But within each challenge lies the opportunity for growth, for resilience, and for a life lived not in spite of adversity, but enriched by it.
Let us not merely survive, but thrive. Let us face the world as we are, not as we were, armed with the knowledge that within each challenge lies the opportunity for profound transformation. And remember, in the words of my own journey, "Adapting is the foundation of progress."
