Tommy Carroll. Where the Heart Is.

~ Live & Learn

This Saturday Morning Work-out inspiration clip is inspiring, has beautiful cinematography and is paired with wonderful music (“Where the Heart Is” by Marijn van der Meer).  Tommy Carroll, who has been blind since the age of two (cancer of the retinas was diagnosed late), has been skating since the age of 10.  This young man has a graceful, peaceful way about him…and is wise beyond his years.

Where the Heart is?  Tommy Carroll.

BRAVE from EyEFORcE on Vimeo.

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28 thoughts on “Tommy Carroll. Where the Heart Is.”

  1. “Falling is a skill you get used to”…”when you nail that scary thing” – Try and fall and rise again..How can you not be inspired and totally love this young man? As his toes gently touch the edge – of a step, a curb, the edge of possibility. Happy Saturday Dave.

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    1. Yes, that scene where he edges up the the curb, wonderful visual. I feel my fingers and toes moving along with him. Amazing young man he is. I’m with you Mimi, so inspiring. Have a good day Mimi

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  3. “You can overcome any obstacle if you want something enough.” Such a powerful thing to know in your heart at such a young age. He will doubtless be successful in whatever he pursues. Wonderful…..

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  4. Great video, David. Tommy is a marvel of adaptation and bravery. At the end Tommy says everything happens for a reason. I always stop dead in my tracks when I read or hear that. What does it mean? That everything happens because of something? Everything has a cause? If so I agree. But if it means everything happens because God wills it or because we need to be tested or its all part of a specific plan — all I can do is squirm. Many events especially disease are random imo. If we are selected at random to have cancer or be blind at 2 nothing selected us for that beyond the confluence of things we don’t understand and didn’t see coming. However this is part of how the universe works. We get to live but within very narrow constraints. Tommy has less than most of us but is doing more with what he has. But I digress — this young man is going where very few of us can. He is a brave pioneer. He happened for a reason and is up to navigating the randomness of life.

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    1. this is a complex question: my thought is that Divine will is pure love only! What we do with it is our choice. And I know this will be a hard pill to swallow but we choose all that happens to us. Why? To learn and evolve. Do we get it right? Not always… that’s why it gets repeated. Tommy’s blindness is in no way his handicap and an amazing example to the rest of us that as he says, all obstacles can be conquered ‘if you want it bad enough’… choice! God is not testing us. And nor is any disease random… it’s all a choice, and as far as when that choice was made is another conversation.

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      1. I agree that the divine, creative power in the universe is positive energy or as you say love. But I don’t see any evidence in my life of that love intervening intelligently. As you imply its up to us to turn to the love from the Creator and channel it. “The Kingdom of God is within you.” If you want to see God look into the eyes of people. Look inward to find the source of everything.

        But I disagree re: Tommy — his blindness is a handicap — one that he has over come, at least to a degree. He may have overcome it to such an extent that he is more capable than he would have been sighted — but the fact remains that he has overcome a handicap.

        And — we choose to be sick or healthy? I think that sometimes this is true. But most serious disease is the result of things we can’t control or are ignorant of. Our bodies are in a fine balance with the world we live in and we don’t understand how this works. Sure science has made discoveries that have helped some of us live more comfortable lives longer. But tell Dr. Paul Farmer who works with people who don’t have access to modern health care that the the people of Haiti choose to get sick and die. We live in an unbalanced world where justice is uneven and thin on the ground. Structural prejudice determines, to a great extent, who lives in a tenement, a mud hut or a split level mini mansion. Structural prejudice also determines who has access to health care and who doesn’t. The opposite of wealth isn’t poverty its justice. In the Western world, in the “first world” countries, many choose to be sick because they have mental issues, others give in to weakness because they are afraid, others are victims of our domestic structural prejudice. But in every part of the world there is disease from such causes as microbes and pollutants. The microbes are on our skin and in our bodies at times, waiting for an opportunity. Can we be constantly vigilant? I doubt it. Microbes come from Australia to the US and from the US to Europe. Staying healthy is a choice for some but not all. Then there are latent defects that many of us are born with. Defects that sometimes don’t reveal themselves until later in life. In fact that’s another complex issue — is the universe perfect? And if so is it a perfect home for life — or not?

        Might be a good topic for a blog post….

        Cheers,
        Frank

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  6. Such bravery and strength, and such wisdom…it brought tears because my youngest also has had to face a lifelong challenge. I believe that if a young person can face the battle with such courage, then they do surpass the rest of us with a beauty and strength that lives within them, and that most of the rest of us may never know.

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  8. thanks David.. love his story, the music and the way it was shot. Inspiring and rich. His will is just like yours and mine… to LIVE and LEARN and without effort our story will LEAD others to LIVE and LEARN… a beautiful circle.

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