Indomitable

Something yesterday reminded me of one of the greatest football players ever. What I remembered is his resilience. Even if you aren’t a football fan, I think you’ll find the following inspirational.

“Genetically, he seemed to be just like a rubber ball,” said Larry Ely, a linebacker. “When he got tackled, four . . . five . . . six people would have his legs, his neck, his arms, and he’d bounce back like a rubber ball to the huddle. How in the world did his ligaments and muscles take the pounding and bounce right back? You looked at him and wondered how any human being could be blessed with such a body.”

It wasn’t just genetics, he was sending a message. Walter Payton didn’t want to give anyone the satisfaction of having “gotten” to him. In an interview he once described taking a punishing hit. No matter how badly it hurt, he made a point not of just getting up, but of springing up. He wanted to make it clear that he could take whatever his opponents could dish out, and then some. He was indomitable by choice, regardless of circumstance.

Walter’s tips on making it for the long haul apply to us almost as certainly as they applied to him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Oq86kzcJTqY#t=211s