Limbo

An absolutely beautiful real life story from author Manette Ansay called Limbo.  One gets a real appreciation for what one has after reading this book.  I was touched by her struggles and how she hit rock bottom and then something happened…  In the story, Manette traces back to her childhood memories, when life was easier and “forgettable.”  She does this after meeting the challenge of her life, the complete deterioration of her physical body for no known reason. The story actually begins at the moment when she is facing her unknown ailment.  The reader is then transported to how she began her journey of life. Manette grew up one of two children and was introduced to piano from a very young age.  She had a talent and her parents helped cultivate it by bringing her to the best possible piano teachers.  Manette put all of her energies into piano, even at the cost of making friends and being involved with others.  High school was a series of bullying and being made the brunt of jokes and humiliations.  Manette’s training allowed her to gain entrance to the Peabody School in Baltimore, Maryland.  As the story unfolds we learn of the ailments in her arms and shins.  The pain developed overtime to a point that she was unable to play piano anymore.  She went home and saw doctor after doctor.  There were lots of potential diagnosis but each doctor contradicted the other.  Over time Manette was so disabled that she eventually was relegated to using a wheelchair.  Her outlook on the future was bleak and she no longer felt a desire to live, even contemplating suicide.  Her former friends no longer felt they could be around her as she was no longer the person she had once been.  After finally waking up from a dream following some time utilizing the wheelchair, something changed in her.  Could she actually go back to college using the wheelchair? 

I awoke from the dream feeling as if something had eased.  So many of us can divide our lives into episodes; before and after….the abyss opens beneath our feet, and we leap it, not because we are particularly brave, but simply because we must….the things we have experienced go on to shape the things we will experience, a year from now, ten years from now, in ways we can’t possibly imagine.

Life began to change.  Once someone realizes that “I am where I am,” they find one of two paths.  Manette choose the harder path, to try and persevere.  There are so many lessons I learned in her story that serve as a catalyst for much of what I do in my life.  Life is not easy, life is not fair, life is what it is.  While she still today faces the debilitating physical pain, she has moved on to receive her PhD in Writing and has written numerous books.  Her father, she learned later in life, had a similar experience as a youth which derailed  his future career, but he moved forward, clearly an inspiration for Manette.  There are multiple messages in the story and I would highly encourage anyone who suffers emotional, physical, or other kind of pain to read this book.  It certainly can serve as a model for finding turning points and some role modeling to move even though you don’t want to do so.  An A+ story!