What Fitness Has Helped Me Realize

When I initially traded time I would spend playing guitar for working out, I did it because I was getting out of breath changing my sheets or walking for fifteen minutes at a clip. I initially despised gym time (and would take every opportunity to avoid going). But I kept going because I knew that my body would thank me in the long run.

I never became an athlete because I wanted to be Jack Lalanne or Lance Armstrong. If I run one 5K in my lifetime, I'll be pleased. Many people who make the commitment to fitness never become legendary athletes. But they do it because they like it and it's healthy. There are days when the whole world seems to conspire against me; I miss the bus, come in late to class, and get handed that music quiz I forgot to study for. And I try to take out my angst on the guitar, but I miss every chord. I try to pen a story, but I have writer's block. So I get out a DVD, a punching bag, some kickboxing gloves, and sweat it out. I probably look awkward kicking around in my living room (and I probably scare the hell out of my guinea pigs) but I do it anyway. And, when I'm all cooled down, I feel better because I had something to kick around. I don't win any gold medals. I'm not trying to.

We can say that certain fields are our "calling", so to speak. We're just so damn talented in the field we choose, such as athletics, writing, music, or art. But circumstances made those fields click for us. If I didn't have a rotten day, kickboxing might not have appealed to me. And if I didn't change my own sheets, I might not have realized that I wasn't physically conditioned in the first place. (So, thanks, Mom, for giving me chores.) These fields are, ultimately, coping mechanisms; their existence as a means of expression is an example of kindness in an unkind world. Someone I know said that one of the reasons he plays piano is to remind himself that there is still beauty in the world. I write to describe all of the ugliness I see around me. Maybe, if enough people read my work, I might motivate them to change society for the better. 

These are all small. People see my writing and they dismiss it as not being uplifting. But for every complex story is an underlying message and an example of what must be changed. The father and the daughter learn to reconcile in spite of their differences. The politician discovers his true identity, even if it means that he's not a politician at all. 

We spend considerable amounts of time pleasing others. We write up that report for our boss. We get a job because we don't want to spend the rest of our lives living on Ramen noodles. We study because we know we'll be grounded if we don't (Or, in my case, because I don't want math books aimed at my head.)

At the end of the day, we don't see our bosses, professors, or parents in the mirror. We see ourselves. We all need to, eventually, enter the work world. And, if there's anything I've learned from my previous experiences, it's that life is finite. So there is no point spending time doing something we don't believe in. And that may mean becoming a personal trainer, college professor, social worker, police officer, or any combination of those. 

My cousin wrote that you can't be neutral on a moving train. Our lives are constantly moving forward. There is nothing wrong with sitting to enjoy the scenery. Sit down too long, however, and we may not know what stops we're passing.