One Day At a Time

Above is a photo of my friend, Jason Smith, and I at a 6:30 am track session for our McDonald's crew. We work them out 2 x's a week at the Santa Barbara City College Track as part of a Corporate Fitness group that their managers encouraged close to a year ago this month. It has grown, and as a group of about 10-12 members, they have seen over 200 pounds total lost in that year and many lives changed.

I once was talking to a friend of mine who is a fireman and we were talking about another mutual friend who is a doctor. I mentioned to him that the doctor had an amazing life- young, successful, and worked to save lives each day. He reminded me that I get to do the same thing- in a better setting. I never really thought of what I do for a living as a way to "save lives," but in reality, I guess that is true to some extent. I often feel like I am in the need of a little saving, and my coach(es) have always been there to help me out of my funk and, sometimes, save me from dying... :)

Life can throw some gnarly things your way, and sometimes in my job, I am not always ready to hear what might come out of one of my client's mouths that day. In the last month, I have had a client's husband die, another client's husband be diagnosed with a fatal illness, and another client who is going in for a very serious surgery. I also have clients that are away in the Galapagos islands, a cruise in the Carribean, and a trip to Fiji. It is always a roller coaster of emotions and the hours can change from one emotion to the next, several times over the course of one day. I guess that is what makes my job so unique and, also, fast paced. However, at the end of the day- very exhausting.

So, as I am driving home tonight after working all day since 5:30am (granted, I took a break in the middle of my day to run 8 miles and swim 2 miles)...and as I sit here at my computer at 11pm this same night...I reflect on the day. I have talked to some amazing people- have met some new friends, and have grown again as an athlete, putting in some great time in the water and on a pretty hilly run course. I am fortunate to have my health and to be alive. I am happy to smile and talk to the people around me- for, as you may not know, everyone is fighting their own battle- some harder than others. Enjoy each breath and open your eyes to the things you may not have ever seen before, for you might be a hero to someone around you.