True Grit

Last weekend I spent time with Terry.  Terry was born drinking Tobasco from a bottle and crawling over broken glass.  If his tales held an ounce of truth, he set the bar for machismo at an all time high.  Terry galvanized his spine as a deputy sheriff in the deep south.  He gave to his community while simultaneously ridding the planet of meth addicts.  Terry can weave a tale of heroics quicker than a Charlestonian can weave a sweetgrass basket.

Terry told me stories which had me scratching my head while at the same time wondering what was coming around the corner.  Admittedly, there were times during Terry’s anecdotes which warranted a moderate dose of Starbucks.   However, Terry captivated my interest when he began discussing the apparent injury to his leg.

Terry’s leg had been immobilized by a medically provided boot.  The boot enabled him to walk but his limp provided a clear indication that he was not in the final stages of recovery.  My lack of inquisitive restraint fueled by Terry’s verbosity opened the floodgates to another detailed account of what had happened and what was yet to happen.

Terry began by telling me about his background.  He had been a runner dating back to the 1970’s.  He shared multiple stories about runs that he had been on and the things that he had seen.  One story included being hit by a bolt of lightening while on a 20 mile run with some friends.  Not surprisingly, Terry (after regaining consciousness)  was able to complete the run as they had no other means of transportation.  He claimed to have been burned and a bit shaken up but otherwise okay.  Obviously, it is easy to roll your eyes and focus on the nature of the embellishment rather than the story.  I think it’s more fun to listen to the story with the wild eyed amazement of a child.  I realize that the truth has been distorted if not completely fabricated.  However, Terry told his stories with such a heightened level of conviction that it was impossible to avoid being captivated by his passion regardless of the delusive measure.

The next leg of the yarn took me to the events which concluded with the broken leg.  Apparently, Terry is quite the accomplished hunter.  He boasted about killing over 20 white tailed deer in a single year.  This seemed like a bizarre thing to brag about but only because I could never see myself killing one let alone 20.  I am not necessarily opposed to hunting but just don’t have that killer instinct.

While hunting in a tree stand one day in an effort to augment his freezer stocked with over 1000 pounds of animal flesh, Terry fell from his perch.  The safety line did not prevent his fall and left him on the ground bleeding rapidly with six compound fractures which had broken through the skin.  Terry had the self control to contact friends in law enforcement and first response who would be able to come to his aid.  Terry waited for a rescue helicopter while fighting to stay alive.

Ultimately, Terry was saved.  Most of his wounds were able to be fixed.  However, one of the bones in his foot could not be repaired.  Ten months after the accident, Terry has been told that he will never run again with his foot in it’s current condition.  He would be able to walk and golf but not run.

Terry identified this as a partial fix.  Terry wants to run.  He wants to live.  Terry is about 60 years old.  Nothing will keep him down not even a busted leg.  Terry has scheduled elective surgery to remove his foot.  His next goal is to set the record for the mile run at the Paralympics.

It’s easy to look at people like Terry and say “you’re crazy” or “you’re full of it” but I have found it better to be inspired.  It’s awesome to meet someone like Terry.  He makes you want to be better than you are and won’t give you an excuse to be anything less.  Thanks Terry.

Until next time…..  Swim, bike, run.