On lapsing – Steinbeck on Steroids (10.15.08)
It was about a year and a half ago that I began working out in the morning.
The idea was that I could get up early, sneak out of the house and have a routine finished before even making it in to work. It seemed to be a perfect idea – I didn’t have to waste my evening running to the fitness center. It worked well for a while. Until Sierra was born. And sleeping in became a luxury I could ill afford to neglect.
Before the morning routine, I was working out after work. I would see the same people every day, a few of which stood out. There’s ultra-scrawny computer geek, a guy who looks like he’s here on court-sanction and resembles my first college roommate (a kid who grew up on a turkey farm) right down to the constant wearing of blue pocket t-shirts. And there’s DVD-walker – a bigger bearded guy who brings a portable DVD player to the center, which he watches as he walks the track. No joke.
Now that I’m back on the fitness wagon, I’ve started going at night again. And lo and behold, a year and a half later, those two are still there, working away. DVD-walker has lost his DVD player, and ultra-scrawny computer geek looks more confident – and in much better shape.
I used to look at them and think to myself, “what a couple of characters – I wonder what their story is.” I would take comfort in the fact that I wasn’t the most unlikely guy at the fitness center – certainly not with those two around.
Now, I realize that, while I left, fell off the routine, and still continue to struggle to stay on track, those two continued on, fighting through the annoyance and hard work, persevering in their workout patterns. To get healthy on their own.
I lapsed. They didn’t.
Maybe I am the most unlikely guy at the gym. And maybe I need to change that.
Song wise, I threw it on Super Shuffle for my 30-minute elliptical ride.
“I Can’t Win” – The Strokes
“Long View” – Green Day
“The Stallion, Pt. 2” – Ween
“You Gave Your Love To Me Softly” – Weezer
“Shake it Off (Bad Dreams Part II)” – Lyrics Born
“Busy with Other Things” – Office
“Speaking of Errors” – Floodplain
“Rock Singer” – Hot Water Music
“Jamming” – Bob Marley and the Wailers
I couldn’t have picked a better wind-down song if I had tried.