I have written about my disability and staying positive. Ernest Hemingway wrote, “Every day above earth is a good day.” You can tell Hemingway was a 20th-century writer. Today we would say, “Every day above ground is a good day.” Let’s not quibble! Every day we are alive is a good day. There will be shitty days, but even those can bring some good if we let them. The day my first wife died in childbirth, along with our baby girl, was probably the worst day of my life. Everything changed that day. I loved my wife and looked forward to our new baby. I had taken a job at the University of Pennsylvania to finish my business degree at the prestigious Wharton School using their reduced staff rates. Suddenly I didn’t have a goal
I did one wise thing. I kept my job at the university while I figured out the future. I had a totally different future in front of me. My mother-in-law was a great help. She said that every young man needs a woman in his life. I didn’t have to feel guilty dating. When I first began my job at university, I learned that the research site would be sold in several years. It meant my job would disappear then too. I could use that time to plan a future. That horrible day gave me the family and the home I have today. There is not much more I could ask.
