Sam rises like a Phoenix

To rise like a phoenix from the ashes can often be a difficult thing.

It is often human nature to think that resilience is not possible. Sam did in fact rise from the ashes like a phoenix, when he took on some new challenges. This is his story.

Sam always did had a great sense of adventure. He was an energetic man who loved riding horses. He also had a great career that gave him enough time to spend on all of his hobbies. He was a wealthy man. He had risen to great heights in his professional life. He started small, and found his way up the corporate ladder. He had indeed worked very hard on himself.

He decided to ride a little faster than usual one day and he fell off his horse. The horse didn't know what it was doing and it trampled over poor Sam. The man was of course wheelchair bound after that, and he never rode horses ever again.

There were plenty of things Sam couldn't do after the terrible incident. He wept and kept thinking about his past. He was so filled with remorse and a bitter rage inside him that he could not do things the way he used to. Sam wasn't very old at the time and he knew that being wheelchair bound, life would never be the same.

He knew his career was over. He knew he would never be able to pursue his hobby, i.e. to ride horses ever again. He was extremely sad about it. Sam did his share of sulking. He kept thinking about the past, and weeping to himself. He was now tired of feeling he wasn't his old self anymore. He was now a middle aged man.

The only people he felt he lived for was his wife . Yet he decided to learn a new skill. Something he could do with his hands. Something. Anything. He was always looked up to as being the man who was always on the go. After the incident, he seemed to only be a shadow of his former self.

One day Sam was watching tv and he saw a little kid playing the guitar. Suddenly he too decided that he would learn to make music.Making music seemed to be a very lovely thing.

He had decided that he would love to learn to play the cello. He knew he was never going to be a world class musician, but at least it could replace his love for riding horses.

So his wife did as he asked and bought him a cello. He was the happiest man on the planet. He decided to practice everyday. He even discovered that he had a talent for playing by ear!

Soon friends and family who heard him play marvelled. He was indeed proud of his new found talent.He decided to write his own compositions as well.

He had a secret. His secret was that he decided to play every melody that he composed based on the times he enjoyed his love for riding horses.

One day he decided to take part in a contest. He decided to show people that he was really good at his new found skill! Writing his own musical composition and playing it for others seemed to be a worthwhile dream and he kept on being consistent about his cello skills.

So one day, he signed up for one such contest that he found on the Internet. He was filled with hope that he would be able to find something else to focus on other than his old love for horses. Sam told his wife proudly 'I signed up for a contest I would love to win. It may not happen, it just might...who knows?'

His wife was the supportive type so she gave him a hug and encouraged him. He immediately sat down with the Cello and practiced from dawn till dusk. He kept his fondest memories on his mind. He kept thinking about his first ever horserace and while he wrote the composition, he closed his eyes, writing each note based on the highs he felt as the horse and he galloped along.

Finally the day of the contest arrived. The other contestants looked at him strangely at first because they thought he was disabled and that he wouldn't perform as well as the other able-bodied contestants. He watched them take their turns on the stage. One after the other. Finally it was his turn. He needed help getting on to the stage. People were a little surprised that a man on a wheel chair would be playing the cello today.

He started to play. He closed his eyes the way he used to when practicing at home. He thought about his horse and how they would both ride together like a superhero and favourite sidekick. He thought about his life, and his job and the way life changed after the accident. He played so well that everyone in the audience was astonished. He didn't manage to win, but people admired him because he seemed to defy expectations. He got a standing ovation.

He knew that he wouldn't win the contest but he still managed to impress every one with his skills.

He came home that day and spoke to his wife. She was so proud of him, and gave him a huge hug. She told him that he had indeed risen from the ashes like a phoenix. That was the nicest thing she ever said to him. He remembered what he said for a really long time after.

Sam continued to play the cello. He became so very good at it, that he took part in many more contests. He decided to play the Cello at church too. He decided to teach music. He started to give lessons, and since by now he was already so well known, quite a few kids signed up for his music classes. He loved teaching kids to play the Cello. The kids loved him. He had felt in his spirit that he had risen like a phoenix from the ashes like his wife had said.