By Patrick Cassell
When Meg Johnson visited southern Utah seven years ago, she thought she was having an adventure. She was among the red rocks and natural wonders near St. George and was jumping among the rocks when she accidentally jumped off a cliff. She fell about 35 feet. When her medical treatment was over she was a quadriplegic and would never jump again.
In her talk on CD, “When Life Gets Hard,” Johnson tells the story of losing her ability to walk and how this experience changed her point of view. Not only does she share what it is like to recover from a serious injury, she shares how she learned that anyone can live through any debilitating problem.
Johnson says that life is full of challenges. They can be medical, emotional or spiritual. When she fell she did not see the gaps in the rocks. Johnson uses the acronym “GAPS” to describe the steps to take to deal with the debilitating effects of negative experiences. The letters in gaps stand for gratitude, attitude, prayer and service. Johnson uses narrative to explain how those acts can help you not lose heart when life seems to be at its hardest.
One unexpected result of the talk is how she inspires changing a point of view. When trying to go through life with a pragmatic point of view, Johnson’s story reminds of the spiritual reasons members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints make the decisions they do. When facing life’s challenges, this talk can help make it through them with a happier outlook.
Patrick Cassell is a freelance journalist and writer living in Utah.
Read the original story at https://www.deseret.com/2011/8/1/20386018/when-life-gets-hard-looks-at-the-gaps-in-life#meg-johnson-talks-about-lessons-learned-from-losing-the-use-of-her-legs-in-a-talk-on-cd-when-life-gets-hard