In light of every aspect of the recent presidential election, I think we all need a little bit of cheering up in the form of some encouraging facts about our old president, Teddy Roosevelt. A president loved by all, he made major strides in this nation and enjoyed life while doing it. He is a true inspiration to many, the man was a freaking cowboy, after all.
I don't want to say we should all just give up hope that we'll ever get another president as badass as Roosevelt, but we should probably just go ahead and give up hope.Theodore Roosevelt might have been born into a wealthy family, but he did, however, have some difficulty growing up. He had extremely poor health as a child. Knowing that he could not live the life he wanted unless he did something about his health, he chose to "make his body" by doing different forms of exercise starting with gymnastics and weight training. Teddy knew the importance of health and wellness and always made time to strengthen his body. Imagine the kid from Home Alone working so hard that he grew to become as physically fit as Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson; that is practically Teddy Roosevelt's story.
Roosevelt was happily married for four years until one day, tragedy struck his life. Both his mother and his wife died on the same day, within only a few hours of each other. He decided to deal with this hardship by going outWest to become a cowboy. Instead of giving up on life, he did something to improve himself. He bought thousands of cattle and two ranches and lived life on the frontier. He hunted grizzly bears and at one point he even captured an outlaw! I am more than positive that Waylon Jennings' song "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" was inspired by Roosevelt's life as a cowboy.
Theodore Roosevelt was a man dedicated to the outdoors. He hiked often, taking his five children and even some ambassadors with him on these hikes. Over the course of his presidency he devoted time to nature preservation, setting aside 200 million acres for natural forests, reserves, and wildlife refuges. Roosevelt had such a love for nature that he travelled to Africa to go on a safari.
A tough and resilient man, Teddy Roosevelt would not let anything set him back. When told by his doctor that he should live a sedentary life, because doing otherwise would be fatal, he told his doctor, "Doctor, I’m going to do all the things you tell me not to do. I’ve got to live the sort of life you have described, I don’t care how short it is.” He went on to later climb the 1,500 foot Swiss Alp, the Matterhorn. He never hesitated to stay true to his inspiring resilience.Theodore Roosevelt lived an ambitious life of honesty, passion, and rigor. He was devoted to whatever he did and he did it joyfully. At one point, while campaigning, he was shot in the chest by a protester. He later recovered, but, thinking it could be the end of his life, he responded to being shot with "No man has had a happier life than I have led; a happier life in every way."
