The Little Things
May 26, 2015

As I’ve mentioned previously, I was in a pretty lousy mood leading up to the Indy Mini Marathon earlier this month, and as I was headed to the expo, I knew that I wanted to turn my attitude around and enjoy the weekend. “On My Own Two Feet” by Amy Purdy was on my wish list on my library’s online downloads site, and it was available on audiobook, so I downloaded it.

On My Own Two Feet Book Review

If you’ve never heard of Amy Purdy, let me tell you briefly about her: she’s a bronze medal Paralympic snowboarder in Sochi, was on Dancing With The Stars, and is a motivational speaker. I first heard of her on DWTS, and was so impressed with her dancing skills, especially because she is a double leg amputee. Her dancing was beautiful and her story was inspiring. When I saw that she had recently released a book telling her story, I was immediately interested.

On My Own Two Feet is her story of her near death experience with meningitis to the process of having both legs amputated, both kidneys removed, and her push towards surviving and thriving as a result. When she contracted meningitis, she was given less than a 2% chance of survival, but she didn’t just survive- she threw herself into thriving in the best ways she could, even pushing herself to get back onto the snowboard. Her story shows the resiliency and thriving nature of humans. She came across as very humble and sweet-natured in the book, and it was a very easy read.

As I like to do, here’s a quote that resonated with me as I was reading:

“But the truth is that I don’t want to simply offer others a fleeting moment of “inspiration.” I want my story to spark real change. An aha moment becomes most meaningful when it leads us to do more. Dream bigger. Move past our so-called limitations. Defy expectations. Bounce back with the resilience that every single one of us was born with. I didn’t write this book because I want you to say, ‘Wow, look at what that girl overcame—good for her.’ I’m sharing my story because I want you to see what’s possible in your own life. Right here. Right now. Starting the second you pick up your pen and create your own amazing narrative. The words of the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu have always resonated with me: ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’ What follows is my first step. My first stumble. My first dance. My first dream.”
I’d strongly encourage you to add “On My Own Two Feet” to your reading list for the summer! For other book suggestions and reviews, check out my Books/Book Reviews Page.
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