Welcome to 2021. The pandemic still claws at our sense of security, creates separation, and obstructs daily life in ways that chafe against our personal expressions of a life lived fully.
The challenge is immense, but the vaccines have arrived. There is a certain end in sight as long as they are as effective as the drug trials demonstrated. For most of the world, the pandemic will begin to come under control late this year and we can come out of our proverbial bunkers to embrace one another again.
Throughout the pandemic, I’ve lost touch with people, hobbies, and wellness practices that I have had in my life for years. And I became separated from an important personal sanctuary - the gym. The weight room became a refuge for me as young teenager growing up in a tumultuous household with unstable parents. I found camaraderie, personal development, work ethic, and realized physical potential that propelled an athletic career. I don’t hesitate to tell people that my years of training and football saved my life as a young man. So, I’m working through a big gap without the beloved refuge of a workout facility in my life experience.
As the New Year arrived, I realized it is time to start training again no matter what it looks like. I’ve only had running as my exercise outlet for the last nine months and my physical strength has plummeted. My body has changed and I'm not happy with it. At the beginning of this week, I dropped to the floor of my living room for the first few sets of pushups in months. A bit shaky and bewildered by an unfamiliar sense of weakness, I kept at it. The hardest part of any pursuit is either getting started for the first time or getting started again. Let's Start, Let's Go.
