The Human Machine

Often, while reaching for a goal, we stumble and sometimes we even fall.  With this in mind, I am reminded of the phrase “Fall down seven, get up eight.”

This is where I find myself.  I’m getting up.  Recently, I was fortunate (sarcasm) enough to get an “aggressive” strain of Strep Throat.  This not only put me on my butt for the better part of a week but also gave me the shakes, some slight hallucinations (I’ll admit…a little fun) and made me virtually unliveable as I was a sick, grumpy baby.

I also couldn’t train.

Not that at any point I thought to myself “Hey, I should be at the gym.”  Instead it was different variations of “So, this is what hell is like.”  “How much Nyquil is too much?” “Can I actually shake till a filling comes out?” “Will I get more ice cream if I start to sob in front of my wife?”

At some point I started to feel better and made my way back to my training and into the gym.  This is not atypical, rather, it is pretty common for all of us.  Friends, Family, Work…Life comes up and gives us a good swift kick in the gonads.

It’s how we respond to said gonad kick that shapes us and shows our character.

I’ve been lucky though.  I have a dynamite support network.  I have my foundation…my wife.  I have my motivation…my kids.  I also have purpose.  It is related to both my foundation and motivation. 

In previous posts I have spoken about where my training started and my less than altruistic goals (“I want to be hot.”).  My training though has changed and evolved.  I still want to look a certain way.  Hot is not necessarily it.  I have grays, I have scars, I have a patina of “war wounds” that have aged me and are an index to my life.  My tree rings as it were.  Instead I want to be, and look, fit and healthy.  I also want to have a body that can carry me through a lifetime of being physically active with my children.  To see them grow and enjoy all that an active lifestyle can give them.  Not to be slowed down by weight, injuries, a lack of ability or motivation.  I don’t want “can’t”.

(If I happen to elicit a “Mrrrrooowwrr” from my wife or other admirers… it’s an added bonus)

With this in mind I was able to respond to the kick and get back into my training.  Training needs to become second nature and focused towards the idea of being more “capable” in my athletic abilities.  Strength, speed, flexibility, power and stamina need to be increased, developed and maintained.

I continue to be focused by my family, my goals and my desire to be the best possible version of myself.

A capable, human machine.