What makes a person keep going even when there is adversity in life? Some people have that determination. It can be present at any age, but I think it is especially important for older people. Losing the will to go on can lead to a spiraling downward path.

I know of lots of people that have this great determination.  They are great examples to us, as well as, sources of inspiration.

One such person was my stepfather. He was always a hard worker and he expected everyone to have the same work ethic. He worked until the day he died and he lived to be 90 years old. In that he was an inspiration, but this is not today’s story about him.

This is a story about another one of his qualities that inspired me.

Like so many, he had cataracts on his eyes. As a result of the surgery, he lost vision in one eye. Here was a very independent man, who now had to depend on others to drive him places and to help him just get around without stumbling. He become morose because he felt he couldn’t do anything, but sit around. He felt his life was over.

However, the story is not over.

One day an opportunity came up. A section of land was for sale. He bought it and became a rancher with land to develop, cattle to buy and sell, a lake to fish in. He bought a jeep to drive on the ranch where it didn’t matter if he could see perfectly. Suddenly, he had purpose again and a life worth living. He continued working on his ranch until the day he died.

His lesson to me: I must have a goal, a purpose for living. Without moving onward, I can easily give up on life as he almost did. This is one of the many reasons I admire him so much: he sprang back to life instead of giving up.

Hopefully, others, who face adversity and want to give up on life, will be inspired by his story and will find their own purpose for living.