Choose your own adventure

  As a child, I enjoyed reading a series of books called Choose Your Own Adventure.  They were action stories about  kids, and the neat part was that when the characters faced a choice, the reader would be instructed to turn to one page for choice A and to a different page for choice B.  Usually I played by the rules, but occasionally I’d cheat and take a peek to see which choice resulted in a better outcome.

  As an adult, without the luxury of peeking into the future, I can’t be guaranteed of always making the right choice, if there even is such a thing.  And yet there are times when I’m pretty sure what the best choice is.  Take today for example.  The thunderclouds in the sky had nothing on me: I was a bad mood on two legs.  Feeling overwhelmed, powerless, and hopeless, all I wanted to do was feel sorry for myself.

  Unfortunately for those thoughts, this was the afternoon of my first workout with a trainer, Charlene Sintic at Slim & Fit in Mayfield, who recently and graciously volunteered to work with me.  How could I call her, after she reached out to me and set aside time for me, and turn it down because of a bad day?  With adrenaline and stress coursing through my veins, my body needed to work out; it was up to my mind to make the healthy choice.

  I’m happy to say that I did work out with Charlene today, and that it was definitely the right choice.  She took time to talk with me about nutrition and goals, and then she led me through cardio and strength work that left me with a sweaty shirt, limp noodle arms, and lungs working hard for breath.  If I’d exercised on my own today, even in my foul mood there’s no way I would have pushed myself as hard as Charlene pushed me.  I wouldn’t have set goals, and it probably would have taken me longer to find my way back to hope.

  Are problems still weighing heavy on my shoulders?  Yes, and they’ll continue to do so.  That’s part of life.  But life is also about seeking out and finding joy in the adventures of life.  Monday night I had a wee adventure that kept me in smiles for hours: I tried an aqua kickboxing class.  It was absolutely fun, and now I can not only power frog, but I can even do a power frog pyramid.

  It is our choices… that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

– J.K. Rowling