8.23.13

I've said it before but it still rings true- the smell of fresh-cut grass in the late August sun always reminds me of double sessions... Dry grass and dusty ground on the practice field up behind the junior high, sun beating down on orange helmets, white practice unis, and full pads, stretching out, agility drills, hitting the sled, group then team offense, quick water break, group and team defense, sprints, 4th quarter drill, sweaty, tired, and sore heading back to the locker room and a few hours off, then doing it all over again in the afternoon... I imagine guys and gals who played other sports have similar stories and memories, likely fonder with time.

The things we could do when we were 15, 16, 17... (Tho' I did get in a good workout today.)

When you just don't seem to have as much to lose
Strange how the night moves
With autumn closing in...

8.5.13

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. - John Wooden

I've used this as a mantra of sorts for quite awhile, moreso the last couple of years. It's a very simple aphorism but if you think about it it is extremely powerful, and empowering. It's all about reaching and maximizing one's potential, achieving to the best of one's individual ability. It's not about beating the other guy or gal but realizing success at one's own level, doing, striving, and being the best one can be, wherever that level may be.

I get frustrated sometimes; due to one of the chemo drugs I take running, cardio, even lifting are often more challenging than they were just a couple of years ago (I mentioned this to my oncologist and she also gently reminded me that I'm also 48 yrs old! Damn!) One of the drugs causes neuropathy which, in my case, has been a numbing of my fingertips and, especially, toes and feet. Think of how your feet feel after standing out in the cold and snow for a couple of hours and then trying to go for a run; they feel numb, like blocks of ice. That's how my feet often feel and hence it does make running, and doing cardio, more challenging. Similarly, grasping a barbell or dumbbell while lifting, I sometimes don't feel quite as strong, as secure, in my grip as I did. Again, doable, but more challenging. And yeah, I still get a little pissed if someone passes me on my run (I am slower than I was a couple of years ago) or pushes significantly more weight than I. But then I remind myself of the quote above and think: Yeah, ok, right now I can't do what I did a few years ago, but there is still plenty that I can do, and am doing, hopefully to my maximum ability. Doing what I can do, not quitting because of what I cannot do.

It's a lesson, a mindset, that can translate to so many different areas beyond athletics; school, work, entrepreneurial endeavors, relationships... again, utilizing and maximizing one's abilities to be the best we can be, in whatever endeavor. It's a lesson, a mindset that, if adopted, can help power  through challenging or difficult circumstances, simply by doing what we can do, not being overwhelmed and defeated by what we may not be able to do. That is a very powerful, and empowering, manner in which to live.