The following is Scott Fais' weekly blog detailing discoveries made while traveling through Florida and along the road of life.
Alanis Morissette crooned the phrase "Isn't it ironic?" back in 1996.
Ironic came full circle this week.
If you have your health, you have it all.
This week's edition of the Road Log comes from small town U.S.A. Fortunately, I had vacation time scheduled this week. So when my beloved grandmother fell and broke her wrist on Monday, I was able to fly home to Ohio and assist. Caring for a 91-year-old is not only heart breaking, but humbling. I have visited the ER twice in less than 24 hours and now I find myself at a third doctor's office.
Granny will be fine (I hope). She is a fighter. After all, when she suffered a heart attack in 1992, she drove herself to the hospital.
Witnessing her struggle and how Granny continues to hold herself with grace amazes me. She's handled the situation with the same beauty of the tulips in bloom outside the doctor's waiting room window.
So if you have your health, why would you ever jeopardize keeping it? This week's story is all about taking risks and pushing yourself - something I wish Granny would not have done.
Growing up, I was a fan of the original American Gladiators. I would gather the neighborhood kids and we would hold Gladiator-type competitions in the backyard (there are photos. None I will share here). Assault was my favorite, no tennis ball launcher needed. We would just hurl balls off the back deck at each other. Kate Quigley who lived down the street was an expert when pretending to be Gladiator "Zap." She had mean arm that would hurl tennis balls across the lawn and through barricades made of picnic tables. Each time, she would hit her target.
In fact, my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary was spent in a hot soundstage in Studio City, Calif. so I could see the show taped in person. We were the first to arrive and last to leave.
Today, you can climb a wall just like the one on NBC's American Gladiators, as seen on Bright House Networks.
The Aiguille Rock Climbing Center in Longwood (just north of downtown Orlando) features several walls that start easy and end hard. Each stretches from floor to ceiling. And each will make you feel like an American Gladiator.
Cue Morissette above. It's "ironic" only half of the video from this week's segment actually "stuck." As I have blogged before, we've switched from recording on tape to mega-sized memory cards. One memory card transferred all the video to my laptop computer with ease. So did the second card. Alas, as it comes down to deadline time, the video from the second card will not play, let alone show up on a timeline for editing. I've lost this round of "The Eliminator."
In the past when this has happened (see our visit to The Lil 500), I've returned to the place where we shot the story for round 2 and even round 3.
Not this week. Therefore, you will not see me climb. I have to share with you, I did better than the indoor surfing simulator at the mall. Click on the link to watch.
As I sit here looking at Granny's broken wrist, I ask myself, "Why would you take any chances getting hurt?" Climbing a five-story wall doesn't sound all that safe. But it is. You're strapped into a harness and have a lifeline at all times. Plus, a balayer on the ground has your back. I had a great time.
It brings to mind another song from 1999 when Baz Luhrmann performed and Lee Perry tracked "Enjoy your body, use it everyway you can... it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own."
If Granny could climb a wall like a Gladiator, she would (when she was younger, she attempted to swim across Lake Erie from Canada - not once, but twice). I've thought several times about what her "Gladiator name" would be. I think "Courageous" sums it up.
Until next week, safe travels,
-SCOTT
Scott Fais never really takes time off; he's working even when traveling and vice versa. Know of a place he should visit on his next day off? Drop him a line atsfais@cfnews13.com.