Today I'm going to write about an unlikely thing to make a point. Let's talk about boxing! I know, I know... why in the world would anyone knowingly go into a ring and purposely fight another individual, inflicting pain upon them and accepting the pain they will literally throw at you? I'm not sure about all of that but a few years ago I saw first hand an act of humility that has stayed with me. It was from an unlikely source, a world renowned boxer.
For my 50th birthday Barry and I went to Las Vegas. As a side note here, there was a big surprise waiting for me when we arrived. We arrived in Las Vegas and after a short ride from the airport we checked into our hotel. It was a feast for the senses. The lights, the sounds and smells made it all very exciting. I couldn't wait until we dropped our bags and got out onto the strip to look around. Barry opened the door to the hotel room and without even turning on the lights I went up to the window. It was an amazing combination of glitter and colour against the night sky.
Suddenly I felt very uncomfortable. Barry was standing next to me but in a split second I knew there was someone else in our room. Thankfully, it didn't last long until the lights went on and I heard the word "surprise" yelled out.
It was our dear friends Sandra and John who had flown from their home in Vancouver to spent the birthday trip with us. It took quite a while for my heart to catch up with my eyes. I was so very happy to see them but the physiological response was danger. I had that feeling l that there was someone in the room with us still. It turned out we had a wonderful time and it was awesome to be there with them to experience Vegas together. But we decided surprising someone in their room is not the way to go.
Back to the theme of the story. Once we had landed in Vegas our instructions included finding a shuttle bus to bring us to our hotel. We boarded the nice but small, cramped bus and then a man got on behind us. We weren't sure what exactly was happening but there was a sudden buzz amongst our fellow passengers. The man sat across the aisle from Barry and politely nodded a hello. Suddenly there were people asking for his autograph and having selfies taken with him. We looked at each other and struggled. We were not sure who he was but it was evident we were probably the only ones on that bus that didn't know. We carried on our short drive to the various hotels curious, but not about to ask the obvious, "Who was this guy anyway."
Our curiosity was satisfied as we pulled into to let some passengers off at the MGM Hotel. There was a hundred foot poster of the guy sitting across from us on the bus. He got up and walked off the bus, thanked the driver and walked by the poster of him into the hotel.
Our jaws dropped.
This weekend you may have heard of the big fight in Vegas. It was between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. It is the biggest purse in history for any fight. They got to split 130 million dollars.
Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao is a Filipino world champion professional boxer. At 32 he was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives. He has also been involved in basketball, acting, and is a retired singer, according to Wikipedia.
As it turns out the weekend we were in Vegas, November 12, 2011, there was to be a much-awaited third fight in a trilogy between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Márquez.
Manny Pacquiao, was the man sitting next to Barry. It made quite an impression on me. I was so intrigued with why somebody with his fame and money would jump on the shuttle to the hotel with the rest of us. I just loved it.
That weekend Manny Pacquiao made over 25 million dollars. He didn't need a limo, an entourage or any special treatment. He rode the bus like the rest of us, and he was gracious to those who wanted pictures and autographs. He was polite to those around him, and he thanked the driver. Humility is a beautiful thing. Seeing it in anyone is a rare thing these days but seeing it with somebody who has fame and money is a memorable experience.
This quote from an unknown author sums up our experience with Manny Pacquiao well; "Humble enough to know I'm not better than anybody, wise enough to know that I'm different from the rest."
So what does being humble have to do with illness and chronic pain? It has a lot to do with it. To ask for help, one has to be humble. You have heard it a million times, "I hate to ask for help". You have probably said it yourself, however do you ever mind being asked for help from someone who really needs it? No we don't, in fact we usually jump at the chance to help another, but we hate to ask for help for ourselves. Asking for help is human, accepting it and being thankful for it, is being gracious. Shame is not necessary, guilt hinders relationship building. Ask for help when you need it; show appreciation when it is given. I will end with a quote of my own.
"True humility will not diminish your accomplishments, it allows you to appreciate your gifts, along with the gift of others around you."
For my 50th birthday Barry and I went to Las Vegas. As a side note here, there was a big surprise waiting for me when we arrived. We arrived in Las Vegas and after a short ride from the airport we checked into our hotel. It was a feast for the senses. The lights, the sounds and smells made it all very exciting. I couldn't wait until we dropped our bags and got out onto the strip to look around. Barry opened the door to the hotel room and without even turning on the lights I went up to the window. It was an amazing combination of glitter and colour against the night sky.
Suddenly I felt very uncomfortable. Barry was standing next to me but in a split second I knew there was someone else in our room. Thankfully, it didn't last long until the lights went on and I heard the word "surprise" yelled out.
It was our dear friends Sandra and John who had flown from their home in Vancouver to spent the birthday trip with us. It took quite a while for my heart to catch up with my eyes. I was so very happy to see them but the physiological response was danger. I had that feeling l that there was someone in the room with us still. It turned out we had a wonderful time and it was awesome to be there with them to experience Vegas together. But we decided surprising someone in their room is not the way to go.
Back to the theme of the story. Once we had landed in Vegas our instructions included finding a shuttle bus to bring us to our hotel. We boarded the nice but small, cramped bus and then a man got on behind us. We weren't sure what exactly was happening but there was a sudden buzz amongst our fellow passengers. The man sat across the aisle from Barry and politely nodded a hello. Suddenly there were people asking for his autograph and having selfies taken with him. We looked at each other and struggled. We were not sure who he was but it was evident we were probably the only ones on that bus that didn't know. We carried on our short drive to the various hotels curious, but not about to ask the obvious, "Who was this guy anyway."
Our curiosity was satisfied as we pulled into to let some passengers off at the MGM Hotel. There was a hundred foot poster of the guy sitting across from us on the bus. He got up and walked off the bus, thanked the driver and walked by the poster of him into the hotel.
Our jaws dropped.
This weekend you may have heard of the big fight in Vegas. It was between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. It is the biggest purse in history for any fight. They got to split 130 million dollars.
Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao is a Filipino world champion professional boxer. At 32 he was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives. He has also been involved in basketball, acting, and is a retired singer, according to Wikipedia.
As it turns out the weekend we were in Vegas, November 12, 2011, there was to be a much-awaited third fight in a trilogy between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Márquez.
Manny Pacquiao, was the man sitting next to Barry. It made quite an impression on me. I was so intrigued with why somebody with his fame and money would jump on the shuttle to the hotel with the rest of us. I just loved it.
That weekend Manny Pacquiao made over 25 million dollars. He didn't need a limo, an entourage or any special treatment. He rode the bus like the rest of us, and he was gracious to those who wanted pictures and autographs. He was polite to those around him, and he thanked the driver. Humility is a beautiful thing. Seeing it in anyone is a rare thing these days but seeing it with somebody who has fame and money is a memorable experience.
This quote from an unknown author sums up our experience with Manny Pacquiao well; "Humble enough to know I'm not better than anybody, wise enough to know that I'm different from the rest."
So what does being humble have to do with illness and chronic pain? It has a lot to do with it. To ask for help, one has to be humble. You have heard it a million times, "I hate to ask for help". You have probably said it yourself, however do you ever mind being asked for help from someone who really needs it? No we don't, in fact we usually jump at the chance to help another, but we hate to ask for help for ourselves. Asking for help is human, accepting it and being thankful for it, is being gracious. Shame is not necessary, guilt hinders relationship building. Ask for help when you need it; show appreciation when it is given. I will end with a quote of my own.
"True humility will not diminish your accomplishments, it allows you to appreciate your gifts, along with the gift of others around you."
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