I never saw such a good old fellow to make the best of a thing, and find out the enjoyment of it, as Mr. Omer. He was as radiant, as if his chair, his asthma, and the failure of his limbs, were the various branches of a great invention for enhancing the luxury of a pipe.

‘I see more of the world, I can assure you,’ said Mr. Omer, ‘in this chair, than ever I see out of it. You’d be surprised at the number of people that looks in of a day to have a chat. You really would! There’s twice as much in the newspaper, since I’ve taken to this chair, as there used to be. As to general reading, dear me, what a lot of it I do get through! That’s what I feel so strong, you know! If it had been my eyes, what should I have done? If it had been my ears, what should I have done? Being my limbs, what does it signify? Why, my limbs only made my breath shorter when I used ’em … a man must take the fat with the lean; that’s what he must make up his mind to, in this life.

From “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens

With his masterful prose, Charles Dickens describes a man who finds the positive aspects of living with a physical challenge, “A man must take the fat with the lean; that’s what he must make up his mind to, in this life.”   When I think of bedridden Stephen Hawking, I think of all his scientific accomplishments, but most of all, his courage to withstand onslaughts of a horrendous disease.  We all know people who lead fully productive and happy lives in their wheelchairs. This snippet is dedicated to them.