Be thankful, grateful, patient, charitable, kind, and don’t forget to smile, as it is infectious. God Bless America and Protect Our President and Military
*** Now, unless you are or have served in the military, you can skip this passage, as you more than paid your dues and have our deepest respect. ***
However, reading this prompt directed my thoughts to the story of just before Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane. He asks Peter, James, and John to pray with Him, and twice, when He is sweating blood, knowing His fate, He finds them sleeping. He says, “The mind is willing, but the body is weak.”
It is sort of like that for most of us at times, especially on cold, wintry, or rainy days. The mind is willing, but the body just wants to hit the alarm and go back to bed. It’s those days, only the highly motivated (think of a drill sergeant here) force themselves to get up, dress, and get out the door for their daily walk, run, bike, swim, or gym session, and are dedicated to their daily routines.
To be honest, this is something I never got, and I played organized sports (baseball and football) through most of my grade school and High School days. They must be the folks who get a runner’s high from that endorphin boost or something?? Me! I just got sweaty, dirty, sore, and tired, but don’t judge me. Try that in full football gear in the heat of August for years in two-a-days! Let me know how that boost of endorphins is doing when, after a full day of practice, you finish with a healthy dose of calisthenics, 40’s, and crabbing the football field on all fours, and if anyone complains, add a few laps around the track for good measure!
We used to feel bad for the guys on the soccer team, though. Those poor bastards who, at 9AM, showed up and started right in, and were usually still running when we hit the showers at 5-5:30 PM. That’s right, you read it right, 9 to 5 with an hour break for lunch.
Guys would stop about every two hours and take salt pills from a big brown glass bottle and drink water from a bucket with a ladle that everyone used. You were so thirsty that you could overlook the mud, grass, and sometimes bugs floating around in the water if you weren’t one of the first guys in line. You just fished around most of it to get a clean ladleful. We used to put tape over the earholes because the bees thought it looked like a place to build a good home, or at least get a salty drink of your sweat and a place to rest. Even they know it’s all about the electrolytes.
Hey, in baseball, you at least could use your hat, glove, or bat to swat buzzing things away. If you played outfield, you learned the importance of sunblock and what it’s like on a 90+ degree day to be a piece of fried chicken under a heat lamp, kept warm for a few hours!
Sorry for going off on a tangent, but I needed to add a little humor. I do have a great appreciation for anyone who plays at the semi-pro or Professional level.
So, what’s your fitness story or routine?? Military guys need not apply, as both of us were raised by WWII Army Sgts.
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