This column also appears in the July issue of SwimBikeRun St. Louis Magazine.Activation – noun: making active and effectiveWith another birthday in the books and my lifelong journey of self-discovery benefiting from a current tailwind, each experience and human interaction offers clarity to what brings satisfaction, fulfillment, and peace as well as what is just clutter, distraction, and filler. There seems to be a sharpness and ability to recognize that “this is working” or “this is not.” With a good balance of exercise, attitude, and positive energy from the people in my world, the brain seems to be gripping the handlebars, steering me toward the activities and experiences aligned with my goals, persona, and lifestyle — and away from things that are not who I am or what I want to be.
A big part of this process in life is figuring out who “gets it” and who doesn’t. Of course there are our fellow triathletes or fitness enthusiasts who share our desire to set goals, be healthy, compete, sweat, and feel good about it. There are also friends, family, and co-workers who, although they may not participate in multisport, understand our passion — probably because they have that passion for something in their own lives.
It’s the family member who calls to ask how the event went even if they don’t understand the distances, the split times, or whether you did well or poorly in your own mind. They know that you care, so they care, and they respect your commitment. It’s the co-worker or boss who knows you raced over the weekend, then drove for hours to make it back home so you could do the presentation on Monday morning. They understand your passion and appreciate the extra effort. It’s the friend who knows to ask you well in advance if you can make it to a special event, knowing that the calendar is sprinkled with races and a structured training routine. Or the ones that know you aren’t going to stay out late, eat hot dogs, and drink the night away when you have a race, swim practice, or group ride in the morning. And those that understand injuries that keep you sidelined are difficult times to handle and NOT a welcome excuse to be lazy and “party.”
Simply put, these people “get it”, or at least they “get you” and they support your dreams in various ways. If you find yourself thinking “he or she gets it,” make sure you show them love and the same support they give you. They allow you to “Get to the Good Part” as I like to call it. The zones in which you are thinking, “This is what I was meant to do,” “This is who I was meant to be,” and “This is a person I am grateful for and meant to be around.”
The “Good Parts” are also the little things, like the email trying to figure out a plan for a ride for the weekend. Or the satisfaction of seeing your buddy’s car in the parking lot at the agreed upon early hour to start the workout. Yeah, he or she gets it. Thank God. The understanding friend who comprehends that you had a long day at work, still want to get a run in, but could meet a little later, if that’s OK. Word, no problem.
As I made the final descent after multiple loops at Babler State Park, I looked over at a training buddy while hitting speeds well over 30 MPH. Most people were probably still sleeping, but the sun was shining and we were laughing about some comment just exchanged, our muscles sore from the day before. This was the good part and he gets it.
One year in high school, our basketball team would enter the gym for warm-ups with hooded sweatshirts that read “Gettin’ to the Good Part” as rap group Whodini’s song with the same name pumped through the speakers:
“When we gonna get to the good part? Get down to the good part.”
Find the people that “get it,” show them love, put on your hooded sweatshirt, and get to the good part. It’s definitely out there. Get it.
Respect,
JPD
Labels: Activations
