Trusting someone to get you from point A to B always seems to start out easy. I find that making the original decision starts with trust. As difficult or intense as the decision might be, it is stressed and questioned by everything that follows. Perhaps it is too easy to forget the easy decisions that work out. As I look back, I see easy decisions that I questioned and second-guessed myself repeatedly with each step and new experience.
I trust the individual I have chosen to work with in the gym. I believe he has my best interests at heart. Experience reminds me that he works creatively and proactively to address my weaknesses. Even as he pushes me beyond my limits, his encouragement and help makes the process manageable. As I look back, for me and his other clients, I think we would acknowledge that he “road-tested us inside and out, took us to hell and back; finally he brought us to this well-watered place.” (Psalm 66.12)
Hell in this case is defined by muscles screaming in pain, sweat emerging from every part of my body, and an inner demand to stop! To say it hurts is just the beginning. There are aches, lingering pain, and one or two tweaked muscles that took time and rest to recover. My mind tells me that the experience will soon be over, but every fiber in my being thinks otherwise.
The images in the middle of this take me everywhere. Difficult corporate situations, complex relationship challenges, and situations where my fears, uncertainties, and doubts dominate everything. Each is ugly. They seem to be image loops that cannot and will not end.
As I sit in the steam or ice room later, resting, recovering, and revelling in the knowledge that I am safe and getting stronger. My confidence in the routines continues to grow. I know I am in good hands. I can feel my flexibility improving. The strength I was seeking is becoming a reality.
While I want the journey to continue, I know it is a daily choice.
