Special Moments Happen Unnoticed

Last night, while watching the Super Bowl, did some blog surfing and found this Lane 8 healthy blog post from last April.

It’s a story about a Father and a Son having a casual conversation that was as significant, as it was insignificant.

These are the small, often unnoticed moments that make life exciting.

You have one you’d like to share?

The friendly Twistee Treat employee, Lori (may or may not be her real name), asked, “How’d it go?”

We’ve been going to Twistee Treat for four years and Lori was always there on Mondays and Fridays.  For the past year or so though, Lori has a different schedule, we rarely see her.

Quickly, my brain started working overtime to remember what Lori was referring to.  Nothing.

So I sort of embarrassingly asked Lori, “How’d what go?”

“The track meet.”

Then it hit me.  I gave Lori a Lane 8 business card at some point and must have described the Lane 8 vision.  You know, “If your goal isn’t impossible….I don’t care if I get the worst lane and come in last.”

Because I’ve had time to process, and have overcome the reluctance to just spit it out, I was able to come right out with it, “Forty-third.  In the world.”

“There were 5,300 athletes from 80 different countries.  In my event (400m) alone, there were 63 athletes aged 50-54.  Eight of them were Americans.  Seven made it to the semi-finals.  I was the one that didn’t.”

43rd. In the whole world.  Ya with me?

Huh?  Exactly.  I need to remind myself of this every single day.

Wellness – physical well being – is not something that I can take lightly. Most people understand this.  And yet, the pressures of our lives can make it so challenging to be well, that we succumb to the pressure.

What happens next? We all know the answer to this, don’t we?

So, knowing the answer, what are we going to do about it?  What am I gonna do about it?  What are you going to do about it?  Today, I mean. Seriously.

What will your wellness challenge be today?  Carpe diem.

Had a great hour and a half with our son yesterday after school.  We had ice cream, played catch, rode our bikes and blogged.

Could have gone to the gym, but chose differently instead. Ultimately, a balance is required.  Working out is challenging. Finding time and energy is hard.  Finding excuses is easy.

Having very high health goals makes finding motivation easier.  But it is still a challenge to figure out how to achieve those goals.

Because it is so challenging, most people are tempted to give up on their big health goals.  Don’t do it.

There’s a secret hope to inflict a (great) sense of responsibility on you readers.

It’s actually a fulfillment of my responsibility as a writer and thinker.  To think.  Then to write. And then to wait and see if it actually made anyone, other than me, think.

However, I do not let the scarcity of comments stop the daily blog postings. How would that be possible?  To preach daily focus, daily discipline and daily self-reflection, and not follow it.  That would be, well, hypocritical.

So, therefore, it is impossible to stop writing every day.  Why?

Because even though I thoroughly enjoy helping others, the real target audience is my Family.

PS.  In an apparent contradiction, even though I thoroughly enjoy helping my Family, the real target audience is you.

Why even strive to be world class?   Isn’t that a bit egotistical?  

And even if we could agree it’s not, couldn’t we agree it’s way too much work for the average person?

The big decision remaining for me is when do I buy the plane ticket to Helsinki, Finland?

It’s a significant investment.   “For what“?, I quietly ask myself.

The answer that surfaces most of the time?  

“You only get one shot at life.  Even if you have to walk around the track, you should do it.   Remember, Jeff, there are no guarantees in life.   You’ve been on this journey, consciously, for over ten years.  But in fact, it’s been with you all your life.   You are not being selfish.  Do it“!

And so it goes.  Day in and day out.  One day after another.   What to do?

We all face decisions that don’t have an easy answer.

We all have to decide.  And even if we choose to not decide, we’ve actually still made a choice.  Seriously.

My choice?   The answer seems obvious.  Yet at the same time, I’m having “buyers remorse“.

For now, I’m going to put on my running shoes and go for a run, pray for wisdom, and hope for no pain.  Carpe diem, jeff 

Friday’s strength test and core test proved one thing in particular.

A decade worth of hard work, persistence, determination, goal setting, set backs, failures, successes, sweat, pain, motivation,  lack of confidence, confusion, stress, progress, injuries, rehab, physical therapy, core workouts, speed work, and endurance work.

Plus, stretching, flexibility training, 5k’s, 10k’s, 400 meters, 800 meters, 1,500 meters, obsession, surrender, thinking, smiling, hoping, visioning, praying, playing, involving family, sacrificing family, nutrition, reading, studying, working full time, volunteering, dreaming, sleeping, lying awake, and probably many more – but I better stop now.

The result?

A perfect score!  My physical therapist determined my core was a perfect score of 21 out of 21.  She used a test used on professional athletes to look for imbalances and weaknesses.

The leg strength test showed my right versus left leg was only 2/10ths of a percent apart.

The staff at Florida Hospital Rehab awarded me the “Most Symmetrical Person” they have ever seen there.

What all of this means is that the efforts have yielded extra-ordinary results.

Life is like that.  You reap what you sow.

I’ll try to not forget that simple truth.  Even though I’m easily distracted.  “Oh look, a bird”!

Make today a day to at least consider your physical health and ask yourself, “Am I investing in my health”?   Carpe diem, jeff noel 

It’s our choice isn’t it?

I’m still smiling from yesterday.   I asked our eight-year old son to help create a tee-shirt design for Lane8.org

I challenged him to do five pages worth.  He did.  He’s clever, creative and funny.

This journey to make it to the Men’s 50-54 400 meter finals at the Master’s World Championships is nothing short of inspiring to me.   I do not belong in this league.   I asked my son, “Remember David and Goliath“?  “Yes“, he said.   “What was the morale of the story“?, I shot back.

“You can do anything“, was his answer.

“That’s right, nothing is impossible“!, I said softly.

Follow your dreams.  Dream Big.  Get There.  Stay There!  Carpe diem, jeff noel