This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

A Breath of Fresh Air

Motivation to get out and stand up for your dreams.

23 miles up from our little rock called earth, there isn’t much air. This is a fact. But the view has got to make up for it. While the dangers of parachuting from that distance definitely outweigh the odds, there is a man willing to test his chances. Felix Baumgartner has been working for five years to put together a plan and the equipment he needs to make his world record jump from 23 miles up possible. And the greatest thing about this mission is that he has to jump out of his capsule no matter what. He has dedicated his life and time to science.

23 miles is the length of a marathon. 23 miles would be like running from Wyandotte to Belleville. 23 miles is five times farther than the tallest mountain on earth. It would be 32 times around the Daytona speedway. It’s far.

But the test of strength, perseverance and motivation are what is so fascinating about Baumgartner's drive towards exhilaration and accomplishment. His motivation is a breath of fresh air at a time when the news is filled with elections, international news of terrorism and war, local news of teen suicide and violence. A positive story about dedicating your life to science stands out as a story of accomplishment unheard of for quite some time.

Find out what's happening in Wyandottewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Thinking back to what it must have been like to read the news that a vaccine for influenza was discovered; to read and see that you could travel around in your own personal automobile making that trip to visit family that much easier; to see man land on the moon. These were all amazing accomplishments in their time. Do you realize that we continue to make these kinds of accomplishments now? Really, this story of accomplishment is not so unattainable either.

We are so saturated with information, busy with commitments, video games, music and television but have we stopped to see what amazing feats our fellow humans are making? To think that Felix is just another guy (though a member of the Air Force and an accomplished skydiver) who happens to be somewhat of a daredevil, but is willing to test his strength for science. Makes you wonder just how close we all are to changing history right here in Wyandotte.

Find out what's happening in Wyandottewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Think about it…Budd Lynch chose our little city here in Wyandotte to hang out. The new Miss Michigan USA comes from Wyandotte. A few members of the community have come together and for the first time in the state of Michigan, they are holding the very first 20-day initiative to Paint the Town Pink for Breast Cancer awareness. Discoveries, memories and feats are made every day. Right here in our community. Get out and start training for a marathon. Try your hand at blogging for the first time. Volunteer your time at a community event. Your life, your neighborhood, your local businesses and your town will be all the better for it. Just make the decision to stand up and follow your dreams. It’s a breath of fresh air you won’t soon forget.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?