1 year ago yesterday my brother got his shit rocked HARD by life. At a competition, he fell and blew apart his knee. Full dislocation, ripped completely through his patellar tendon (VERY hard to do) torn ACL, MCL, PCL, meniscus... It's probably a one of a skier's worst nightmares for an injury apart from permanent spinal, head, or limb damage. His knee still doesn't look normal. And he had JUST recovered from 2 blown knees before this. Hes not a complainer. In the toughest time in his life, he has also probably inspired many of you with his workouts, upbeat attitude, work ethic, and a body with herculean strength. It's not like those things just "come easy" for him. I've been watching. I've seen his ups and downs. His recovery is 2+years. John loves skiing more than anyone I know. To watch him work his ass off for a future that is a giant ❓ while I chose to walk away from the exact thing he wants more than anything doesn't feel fair. For the last year he has sat everyday and done the most mundane things at a snails pace progress all while not knowing if it will amount to anything. It might not sound hard - but if you've ever been injured or had your entire way of living on the line, your dreams, your work, the things you hold dearest, you know it's just about one of the most challenging things you'll face. You get restless. You want to throw in the towel. You have to sit and face all your demons, all the things you may have been running from. You might start getting the eating questions- why me? Why this? Now what? Yet @johncollinson never really dwelled on those questions. I watched him go immediately to empathizing with people who had it worse off. Right after the accident happened, he said, "I feel lucky it was just my knee." And he has stayed committed to that even when the light at the end of the tunnel seems dim. In my mind, that is true heart, courage, and leadership. It's not all gravy for him. I think social media can be hard because it allows us to look at others and do the classically human thing of "oh, it's just easier for them". "look at his work ethic and dedication- he'll be just fine." The reality of it is (cont below)...