Favorite #Quote

"The only disability in life is a bad attitude."

                                                                  - Scott Hamilton

Day three of the 31 day challenge asks for my favorite quote, and I had to think about this a little bit. I have a page on this blog that is a list of quotes that have meaning, or I find funny, or hold special memories. You can view it here. So choosing one came down to just my tried and true inspiration. I used this quote in the yearbook my senior year.

Scott Hamilton is the 1984 Olympic Champion in Mens Figure Skating. He is the reason I fell in love with the sport of figure skating (though I can't skate to save my life). I saw him skate live in very early 1989, I was four, and I thought what he did was amazing. He talked to a radio (skating to Georgia On My Mind) and he did a backflip. It was during a Walt Disney On Ice show, and I was hooked.

I followed Scott's career religiously growing up. Even when my interest in the sport was low, I made sure to watch anything that Scott was a part of - be it a skater or commentator. He was my hero, and I loved him (still do!). I even at one time declared that I would marry him - I was too young to understand age difference. Scott was one of my favorite things about winter, and I looked forward to Stars on Ice and Ice Wars and other shows on TV.

Then he let the world know he was diagnosed with Testicular Cancer in 1997. I was devastated. I didn't know much about the disease, but I knew cancer was never a good thing. Scott gave the world a promise and a quote of inspiration that day with his "The only disability in live is a bad attitude." It has been my mantra ever since (even though I have SUCH a hard time these days following it). I prayed hard for Scott - daily. I knew he'd beat it, he'd beaten a mysterious childhood disease after all, and he was Scott Hamilton. I mean, really, if anyone was going to beat the odds, he would.

And he did, and he has. Several battles of cancer later he's still going strong - still inspiring. Always living his life to the fullest. And, now, living for Christ. He's still one of my all time heroes. Someone I look up to, admire, and pray for.