Choices

Now I wake me up to live,

I'll give life all I have to give.

If today I face a test,

I'll cope and pray and do my best.

With each breath and step I take,

Be with me LORD

For heaven's sake.

As I made my way downstairs this morning, the burn in my quads from running stairs at the Audubon yesterday made me cringe. Cringe again I sure did when I saw that my back yard was covered in frost. Miss Bit even thought it snowed. Neither one of these truths made me motivated to make my way to the Y. this morning for the single cardio class that is still a religious part of my weekly routine. I would have much preferred to make another cup of coffee and pass the day away reading and writing...not lesser options by any means...but my truth is that when I get my sweat on, I'm more prone to read and write more worthwhile material. I made a choice. One of many each and everyone of us makes everyday.

I thoroughly enjoyed my workout UNTIL the recovery(?) track that did not deliver relief as promised. It was all squats and lunges, and well, see the previous paragraph. My muscles were on fire, and I so badly wanted to get off my step and act like I had to go to the restroom. Instead, I played this little trick on myself that I keep up my sleeve for just such conflicts. I say, "Self...you are certainly strong enough to do 20 more lunges. What if your life depended on your ability to do 15 more lunges? What if the lives of the people you love depended on your doing 10 more lunges? Anybody can do 5 lunges wussy." It works, and before you know it you are done. Well, done with that leg anyway. It works even for my nemesis...tricep dips. I really had to dig deep today because there were two lunge/squat tracks. I made another choice...we all know - no pain, no gain. Hopefully, I can walk tomorrow.

It's mid morning as I write. The sun is out and the temperature has already creeped up to the mid 50's. I'm sitting here enjoying my second cup of coffee while I make choices for the rest of my day.