No one feels sorry for you

By: Uncle Bernie

 One particular wrestling season in high school I was having trouble making weight and finishing close matches. On a crispy winter Sunday morning (my only day off) my father told me,“Get your running shoes on…we’re going for a workout.” And that’s not something you say ‘no’ to our dad about. He drove us to a nearby mountain that is so dang steep that it’s tricky to even get to the top in a motor vehicle. And this is a paved road. If it’s snowing, forget it. I saw where this was going…
“Get out. See you at the top,” he said.
I was kind of chuckling to myself as I closed the door, blowing into my cold hands. The idea of running up the mountain -without stopping- was actually kind of hysterical.
Little did I know, my dad had been practicing and successfully doing it for months. So, it was far from impossible. And he was the only one that knew.
2,000 feet to the top. I shrugged my shoulders, hit a couple quick squats, and began. I started out with a light jog because it immediately hit me with a 15% incline. Then it got steeper. So, I picked it up and started running. It got even steeper. I responded with a “how about we just get this suffering over with ASAP” pace. Then it got so steep that I could reach out and touch the road in front of me. But I finally saw the top and finished with an all-out sprint. To be honest…I crushed it. My dad’s there at the top grinning in his truck.
“Nice. Get in!” he said as he rolled his window back up. 
I was exhilarated as we drove back down. Hyperventilating not with exhaustion, but the feeling I just did the impossible. I couldn’t stop chatting. I was finally warm, I was relieved, and I was thumping my chest. I was proud, and too proud…
“Get out. Do it again.”
WHAT!!!!
Plummeting out of my euphoria, I looked around and noticed we were at the bottom of the mountain right where we started this party. This man really wanted me to do that sh*t again. Alright…dang. A deep sigh, another shoulder shrug, and a “Ah hell, let’s see what we can do.”
To be honest I struggled a lot more internally on the second round. But I made it just as fast as the first time. The trade off was: I struggled to stand, breathe, or even exist as a human at that point. I had just done the impossible twice. 
“Helluva job. Very proud of you,” Dad said from his comfortable truck.
I was supine on the ground and listening to my new heart arrhythmia. But I was beaming ear to ear at his words and I gave him at thumbs up towards sky. 
“Ok. Good. See you at home!” Window went up. Truck drove off.
WHAT!!!!
You see, I used to feel sorry for myself. A lot. Everything was unfair and life was out to get me. Every time I had the chance to make an excuse, I did.
At that very moment when my father provided me with an actual mountain of tough love, I had a choice. And to be honest, I was too tired to feel bad for myself. The cycle was finally broken. And if you know what runners know, going downhill destroys the muscles even more than uphill. I got off the ground and ran the few miles home. It didn’t happen overnight, but a new mindset was instilled that day. My father drove me to a metaphorical and literal crossroads of life. With minimal words, he served me an important life lesson. And to be fair, I needed it. 
The point is- for the most part, nobody feels bad for you. So why should you? Find your mountain and run over it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Attack mode

By: Uncle Bernie At some point in your life, your car will break down. It’s inevitable. It happens to everyone. When it breaks down, people will be more likely to lend a helping hand if they see you behind the car pushing it rather than just standing around sticking your thumb out. This goes for every difficulty in life, whether it’s just a speed bump or a total breakdown. A lot of people immediately take their hands off the steering wheel at the first sign of discomfort or adversity. If you want your situation to improve, you need to start helping yourself first. When you’re going through a hard time and that very first feeling of procrastination, anxiety, or hopelessness hits…it’s time to go into ATTACK mode. You can’t ignore your situation or pretend like it doesn’t exist. And you can’t wait for someone else to fix it for you. Open the door, get behind the car, and start pushing. You might find that people will lend a helping hand. And you might find when you get good at push
Read more

The Untold Story

Image
By: Dad AKA Matt This is not an easy post to write simply because I wasn't sure how to approach it. My family and I created this blog to share stories from our lives that teach, uplift, and make you laugh. This narrative is one of the best stories that was almost never told.  That's right, the title is a slight misnomer. Personally, I've only heard the story  just one time.  When my grandfather  shared it, I was  flabbergasted. He revealed the story in the blink of an eye, I nearly missed it and had to ask quite a few questions to make sure I was really understanding what I heard! Years later, my brother Zack and I reminisced about why such a great story was never brought up again.  Now, as a father trying to instill my personal values unto my sons, I think I know why.  Nonetheless,the story is NOT the focal point nor the moral of this post.  It is the WHY that holds the value. and is the true takeaway. My grandfather, Pop Fegley, loved to tell us stories. And personally,
Read more