Years ago, back when I was a teenager, I had a near death experience. My dad, cousin and I were helping a family friend build an electronic gate on their ranch. We were making trips back and forth from the house to the gate location, while riding on a flat bed trailer. At some point in the trip, the trailer came unhitched from the truck and the three of us (dad, me and my cousin) all jumped from the trailer as it was headed downhill.  If we would have stayed on, chances are we would have died or been hurt more than we were. 

When I jumped, my feet hit the ground first and then my head. After laying on the ground for a bit, my father shouted “Get up! Get up”!  Ask any doctor what the last thing someone with a head injury should do and they would suggest that getting up is a terrible idea. I came to my senses and got up. Staples in my head, a concussion and some bruised ribs later, I eventually went back to work that day.  I still remember my dad’s outline as the sun was behind him. Nothing angelic about my father, so I knew I wasn’t in heaven and it wasn’t because I didn’t hear harps. 

Getting back up is all you can do sometimes.  

When I was 11, my 8 year old brother died in a car accident. I got back up.

This year my older brother died.  I got back up. 

There are dozens of life experiences that I certainly could have stayed down for, but I decided to get back up. You probably have some as well. If you can’t think of any off the top of your head, then sadly they will be soon to come.  Deaths, divorces, loss of job, etc. When they knock you down, get back up. 

Honestly, what else can you do?  Getting up is all you can do. 

There is a certain amount of satisfaction that comes with telling life to suck it.  There really is!  It’s a liberating feeling when you can take life’s best punch, wipe away the blood from your lip and put your hands back up for the next round.  Knowing that you have the power to endure almost anything can give you a great sense of accomplishment and confidence. Yes, I would trade all my confidence and mental toughness to bring back my brothers, but we all know that there is no possible way to broker that deal.  So, I suck it up and keep moving. 

I am not claiming to be tougher than anyone else.  I’m not better than you and I’m not looking for sympathy because I may or may not have taken more life bumps than you.  We are all capable of enduring amazing things and you often don’t know how deep you are able to dig till the moment occurs.  Know, no matter how much comes your way, you have the ability to get back up.  You are resilient.  

Because getting up is all you can do.