Giving Up

Well, It is lunchtime.  I’ve just observed several English courses, and I’m still enthralled with the job—which is a relief, because the part of my brain that keeps me interested in stuff has been fried from my many cross country trips.  C’est la vie.  

This morning marked the end of a 3-month hiatus from the gym.  Injuries, moving, work, and road-trip made it very unlikely that any gym-stuff was going to happen.  So rather than battle it, and deal with the crippling guilt of a missed day—which I might add, is the same level of guilt associated with the trifecta of swear words, the sin of murder, adultery and not loving Dame Maggie Smith—I decided to just embrace it.  It, however embraced me, and the result was…terrifying.

Do you know what happens to your body when you stop moving, but continue to eat the same amount of cheese?  Your blood congeals, like fondue.  And your entire body—including your bones—turns squishy…like Brie.  Also, I would kill for some Blue Stiltson right about now.

And so, My Dear Reader Friend (MDRF), I decided I had endured enough.  Injury or no I was going to start working out again.   

Crossfit is the most hellishly despicable thing I’ve ever done, and I’m including the time I ran the Wasatch Back, drove across the country by myself, and went shopping at Walmart in Council Bluffs after 8pm on a weeknight—and I loved every second of it.  Let me tell you how this experience went with a phrase that should probably be embroidered on a pillow:

You’ll pass out before your die,

and you’ll throw up long before that.

So keep going.

Me, circa forever

As I crouched over the toilet heaving for ten minutes (did you think this was going somewhere different?  I mean, I’m currently writing so… passed out, and/or dead are both off the table) I couldn’t help but smile.  I smiled because I knew I had accomplished something.

MDRF, My propensity to give up is astounding.

It is a lot like this.

It is such an accomplishment that I’d suggest I deserve an award, but would probably give up before the ceremony.  In fact, in writing this post I’ve almost given up 4 times, so if you’re still reading I commend you.

This propensity means that I infrequently push myself, and I never, if not rarely, get to the point that I’m actually sick, and this is in all facets of life. Imagine if you’d pushed yourself so hard in school that you actually got sick while doing homework.  Imagine if we pushed ourselves harder in other facets including; jobs, religion, hobbies or relationships.  

No, but seriously.  We have a committed relationship.

I think most people are in this situation--not the Downton Abby situation, the quitting situation--and it is a societal consequence of our media saturated developments.  As the poet Lorde says, “maybe the internet raised us.”  A result of this is that we all think we’re celebrities and have the real-world know-how of the kardashians (ugh I was going to include a pic, but it just depressed me even looking up the kardashians.  Lets all set a goal, right now, that in all things we should strive to give it a better effort than Kim did with all three of her relationships).

We all like to give up, and honestly it doesn’t pay off because crouching over the toilet, knowing you gave it all, and smiling, might be the greatest thing on the face of the earth.

MDRF.  Here is to tomorrow.  To pushing ourselves further.  To returning to Crossfit cause we know it is gonna hurt, and to giving more in all facets of our lives.