Heroes cover his wood-paneled walls. From the Incredible Hulk to his childish crush of Wonder Woman (the real version played be Linda Carter), the hung posters have aged over the years but his admiration is fresh as ever.
Rocky, Predator, or Kickboxer are constantly replayed on his television that isn’t big enough in his eyes. And he won’t be satisfied until an actual movie theater replaces it.
A picture of himself with Rolling Stones’ legend Keith Richards or the actual Frank Dux from Bloodsport sit on the shelf. Legends that he calls friends and personally calls time to time.
In that very room, sits a little man with a large heart, an infectious smile and endless amounts of wise remarks that you can’t resist but laugh at.
His days are spent like a retired superhero. Stuck in the glory days of the All-American lifestyle – action packed films, good rock and roll tunes, and his mother’s own meatloaf or Sloppy Joe’s for dinner every night.
Hell, he kept insisting for years that Rocky 6 was coming to theaters. His persistence finally paid off after a decade of waiting for Stallone to do Rocky Balboa. His life is filled with unreal stories, experiences, and inspiration to all those that have had a pleasure to meet him.
That character of a man is our Uncle Walter.
Posing just like Arnold!
Beyond this crazy, humorous portrayal, there’s a reason why we introduce you to our Uncle Walter.
He holds the secret to living a better, healthier and more fit life.
See, Walter has Down Syndrome. However, that is completely irrelevant.
What does matter is how he approaches every single day that he wakes up in that infamous room. Walter does not let a genetic disorder define him nor hold him back from all that life has to offer. On the contrary, he is living one hell of a life, to say the least.
From going on tour overseas with the Rolling Stones to being the life of the party, Walter always has a smile on his face. Whether it’s at the gym doing his own routine (yes, he even trains!) to still believing in Santa Claus every Christmas morning, his attitude and energy are inspiring.
The manner in which he lives day in and day out truly inspires every person that is lucky enough to meet him.
Basically, he lives the shit out of the cards he’s dealt.
Here are the lessons we’ve learned from our Uncle Walter on how to live a healthier, fitter and more fulfilled life.
Lesson #1: Inspiration Is Found In The Most Unexpected Places
When we were commuting into the city every day from Connecticut, a majority of the days we would walk right through Grand Central and not even look up. We were missing that beautiful artwork that lines the ceilings of the historic building. A place that people from all around this world come to visit or one day, wish to.
It’s easy to forget that inspiration is everywhere around us. It surrounds our every waking second. Most of the time, we are blind to it. Or just too busy to appreciate it.
Seeing Uncle Walter always opens our eyes and makes us aware. He is one of the most inspiring individuals in our lives. We would bet that a lot of people that know him, would agree.
It’s not through his words but his actions and his approach to life. He makes us slow down and appreciate the simpler things that bring happiness.
“Life is about the people you meet and the things you create with them.”
This quote says it perfectly. Whether you create something physically or lasting memories, we should become more inspired by each other.
Find people, places or things that make you feel something and inspire you to take action and make yourself better.
Go see your lover, a family member, friend, or client in the action of their work. Be inspired to see them excel at their talents and what they work hard at. It doesn’t matter what that is – music, art, cooking, helping others. You will just know when someone is performing their life’s purpose.
Lesson #2: You Are Not Your [Insert Job, Health, Diet, etc. Here]
As we revealed earlier, Uncle Walter has Down Syndrome. It’s all he’s ever known. He came into this world with this genetic disorder.
But that is not who Walter is. Not by a long shot.
And my grandparents refused to treat him any differently because of it.
As human beings, we like to identify who we are by what we do and the accomplishments we’ve achieved. Whether that’s your career, your hobbies, your relationship, your workout routine, or your diet.
Just take a look at the bio section on your Instagram or Twitter. That small space of 140 characters below your username.
What do you have written there?
A lot of you will see that you and the people you follow will label themselves with all different nouns.
But how can you define yourself in just 140 characters? Including emojis…
These self-made titles are not who you are. You are more than a noun. You cannot put a label on your identity.
What makes you, you are the collection of your experiences, thoughts, passions, and desires.
All of the things we listed above are just means to what you ultimately want to accomplish in this life. If you peel away the layers, these things are what make you happy and help you to leave a legacy when your time is up on this earth.
You are more than your Paleo-diet. You are more than your CrossFit workout. You are more than your SoulCycle spin class.
You are more.
Even though Uncle Walter is Down Syndrome, it is not who he is.
Lesson #3: Your Excuses Are Bullshit
You’re tired.
You’re too busy.
You’re unmotivated.
The excuses keep flowing to achieve the things you really want to in life.
Deep down, you know every excuse is all bullshit.
Ok, Uncle Walter may not have these deep aspirations to achieve the unthinkable.
But he still goes to the gym. He performs his routine without any excuse.
It does not matter that he doesn’t have the perfect exercise regimen. Or that he doesn’t know the perfect execution of each exercise. Forget the sets and reps.
Hell, he doesn’t even have any true goals. He just works out because that’s what Arnold and Stallone did. Ok, he’s still a little vain as he’s always flexing for pictures.
You realize most of that shit doesn’t matter anyway. Showing up without an excuse is the difference maker.
If Uncle Walter can go to the gym, what the hell is your excuse?
Lesson #4: Be Genuinely Happy To See Someone
Uncle Walter has that puppy effect. When you see him, no matter how many times in a day, he is extremely excited to see you. Genuinely happy that you are there.
For that moment of interaction, he is completely present and truly authentic.
It makes you feel all sorts of warm and fuzzy inside.
Now, imagine if we did that more to each other. What if we greeted each other with sincere happiness?
We’re sure as hell it would be a lot of days a lot better.
Lesson #5: Don’t Be Afraid To Act Like a Child
As we age, we become more and more jaded. We lost sight of what’s important and the simple pleasures of life that used to put the biggest smile on our faces.
For Uncle Walter, he is lucky to have never lost that excitement when it’s his birthday even though he’s 45 years old. Or that twinkle in his eye on Christmas morning and there are presents waiting for him.
Sometimes, it’s quite alright to act like a child.
If something is amazing, say it with joy. If dinner was delicious, tell the chef. If you loved a movie, tell everyone.
Get excited again about life and all it has to offer.
Uncle Walter will certainly be calling us soon to go see that new superhero movie that comes out in a few weeks.
Lesson #6: Have Routines But Don’t Die By Them
Uncle Walter lives by his routine. Whether that’s just in his nature or because of having Down Syndrome, he has rituals throughout his entire day. From the moment he wakes up to the days he has specific activities like painting and computer class where he does “the types”.
He goes to Best Buy with us. He goes to the movies with our uncle. He gets his haircut with our cousin. He feeds the birds at the beach with our mom and aunt.
Routines are a vital factor in giving each day a purpose for him.
For us, routines are a great way to accomplish what we need to daily to move towards our big picture goals.
However, this strength of Uncle Walter is also a weakness. If his routines are messed up, it throws off his entire day. He does not know how to adjust accordingly and can be in a pretty terrible mood; hiding his face for extended periods.
Routines are great for the majority of the time. But do not be so set in your ways that a tiny ripple in your plans leads to an entire meltdown.
Be prepared for disruptions and go with the flow.
Lesson #7: Stop Being So Damn Stubborn
As much of a hero as Uncle Walter is, we must admit our family’s frustrations with him over the last few years. You see, he has not had a sip of water or any fluid for that matter in the last seven to nine years.
At one point, he stopped eating and his weight got down to 80 pounds…with clothes on.
We were all afraid of losing him…
To this day, Uncle Walter has not had a sip. Now, his daily routine consists of a feeding tube and machine that he puts on every night.
In this final lesson from this amazing individual, we all need to learn to stop being so damn stubborn.
For Uncle Walter, it’s his eating and drinking habits. For you or me, it could be our perceptive on a certain subject.
Do not be afraid to have an open mind.
Your stubbornness could be killing you.
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Those are the lessons we’ve learned from our Uncle Walter. He continues to inspire us and makes us constantly aware of the simpler things in life.
We hope that you are inspired and can apply these lessons to your own life. So, when it comes time to write your official autobiography, have a story that is unreal. Live a life worth telling your grandchildren about.
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