True North

While certainly not be best, this morning’s annual Thanksgiving spin session appeared by all casual observations to accomplish the primary directive. There was sweat on the floor upon completion of the hour of power. Having the room half full with first timers is always challenging. I ask a lot from my veterans. The lingo, the acronyms, the etiquette, and dare I say the rules, can all combine to intimidate the newbie, as if the work isn’t enough. The real challenge for any instructor is to find some way to connect. Working as a contractor for the US Navy left little doubt as to the motivation and goals of the servicemen and women, but in this civilian environment, the class loaded for bear with very successful professionals, it can be a chore to find the proper combination of cues, inspirational prodding and attitude. We all know that one man’s ceiling can be another’s floor. Or that my true North can be your due South. 

One of my regulars in M&W class dragged her entire family in today. This is a gal so tough that yesterday she had to twice leave the room to change the dressings on her nose triage. She went so hard her nose bled. As if that wasn’t enough respect, she is married to the captain of one of the nuclear subs moored across the water from where I now sit. Captain of an Ohio-class Trident Fleet Ballistic Missile submarine. One does not fall into that role as a result of Daddy having deep pockets. Their two kids, a soccer-playing high-school sophomore and a somewhat distracted freshman girl, flanked Mom and Dad to my left. They went hard, followed the instructions and finished with bravado. They might have even liked some of my classic rock dominated music. 

However I made the mistake of trying to be all things to all people, the kids, the captain, the regulars, those fresh from years of neglect and caloric abuse, and in so doing felt the magic coming in spurts vice the usual start to finish flow. But I did have the dopamine fueled presence to finish with something simple yet, in my most humble opinion, patently profound. 

If you take all the collective wisdom our civilization has orchestrated, including the horrendous (no examples required) and the horrific, the incredible and the altruistic, the organic and the superficial, and centrifugally spin them to render two elements that have the power to encourage human goodness and growth, these are the two:

Gratitude and forgiveness.  

I glanced at the young girl as I delivered the epiphany and she nodded her head in silent approval.

There is hope for us yet. 

Happy Thanksgiving.