Showers, Breakfasts, Busses

Plan in Decades,
Think in Years,
Work in Months,
Live in Days,
Focus on Now.

It is still dark outside. We can see the black start to lighten into gray through the windows above the garage doors. We meet in this cold space three times per week to stretch and lift. We do this early, first, because my workout partner is 15 and will catch the bus to school immediately afterwords. He will hustle through a shower and breakfast to do so.

I try to include a tangential theme as part of our sessions, now nearing the four year mark. Today, although I wanted to re-introduce running to our regimen, thinking that tomorrow after our Saturday spin class would be opportune, he said something that I immediately caught and returned his verbal toss, forgetting the run option.

I was spotting him on the bench. We are are at 125lbs. Looking at my watch I suggested 'anytime you're ready' as a motivational cue. I laughed when he responded with, 'how about tomorrow?'

Floodgates open.

Tomorrow we will be doing something else, equally important, but until that time ALL our focus is here and now.

You get three breaths and then hoist, bucko. Out of the blue I commented that as I was present when you (he) took his first breath, almost 16 years ago, despite the thousands of breaths that have happened since, the next one is the most important.

To further illustrate, because I was now on an endorphin/philosophical roll, I said, 'let's consider how this applies; those 15 years since that first one have gone by pretty fast, have they not?'

'They have'.

'By the same measurement stick then, the next 15 will go by equally as quick?'

'I guess, yeah.'

'Then what should our response to that fact be?

Silence as 125lbs go up and down 6 times.

'How about in the attempt to cram as much experience into those years as possible, doing things, going places, meeting people, reading books, singing songs, running races….'

'Taking showers, eating breakfasts and catching buses?'

'Yes, go. Nice work today.'