QUARANTINE THOUGHTS
Bob’s Initial Feelings During The Shutdown
First Run of the Season
Taking advantage of some decent weather and getting out for my first run of the season – enjoying some fresh air, listening to some great music, and contemplating. It was particularly inspirational to see individuals and families outside – playing, exercising, just appreciating each other and nature. Didn’t see anyone sitting around on their phones. It was like the normal, stressful, distracted grind of life disappeared for a bit, especially considering the state of the world right now. Everyone seemed so happy and friendly.
I wanted to share a few personal thoughts outside of that wonderful moment. So many of us are going through such a range of emotions right now. Myself included. While I am an optimistic person, the past few weeks I have felt a roller coaster of sadness, worry, and sometimes pure anger. When that happens, I accept how I am feeling, take a few moments to stop, breathe deeply, and then analyze how I need to constructively move forward. When I have a moment of weakness, I look towards a person in a moment of strength. It allows me pause to reflect on making the right decisions.
Those feelings I just mentioned recently stem from reading discouraging news updates or hearing heartbreaking stories from family, friends, and clients. As a human being, I worry about the health of those close to me. As a small business owner, the economic system I have always responsibly supported is currently giving me nothing in return when I am in need.
My feelings change positively when I hear stories about the people out there everyday putting themselves at risk to keep our lives going. The stories of companies changing their operations to help with the crisis. The story of a neighbor assisting someone less fortunate.
True heavy metal music is something I consider a deep philosophy and way of life for me. It doesn’t sugar coat anything. It shines a bright, brutal light on what scares us. It also absorbs those fears. It processes how we can accept them and positively change our lives for the better. It gives us the chance to destroy the awful divisions and challenges humanity has created. It allows us to collectively leave life better than how we discovered it.
My studio, Heavy Metal Fitness, prides itself on having every single client finish their sessions feeling better than when they came in – no matter what is happening in our lives. That small thought has unlimited potential. Many of you know what I am talking about. There is that moment during an exercise where the muscles are burning, your heart is racing, and everything in your body is collapsing and giving up. And then something happens. Maybe it’s something your trainer says. Maybe it’s a note in a song. Maybe you have a personal moment of clarity or awakening. You do one more rep. You go 5 seconds longer. You do what you didn’t think was mentally or physically possible. You’re alive in ways you never dreamed of.
That all applies to each and every one of us in this global pandemic. Together.
I don’t want life to go back to normal after we get through this. I want it evolved. Just like an intense workout, I want us to learn from these challenges. I want us to grow beyond the previous complacency of the many unsustainable aspects of our civilization. I want us not repeating mistakes of the past.
In closing, respect yourself. Respect those around you. Respect our planet. Respect the universe. Respect LIFE. Doesn’t have to be greater than that and shouldn’t be less than that.
See you all soon, keep it metal!
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
“If you want to arrange it, this world you can change it.
By helping a neighbor, or even a stranger.
To know who needs help, you need only just ask ”‘Old City Bar’ by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
“I see where my decisions have brought me.
What’s done is done and it’s time to start again.
Can’t let it tear me in two, waste me away.
How can I change tomorrow if I can’t change today?
This is now, if I control myself I control my destiny.”‘This Is Now’ by Hatebreed
“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
Bruce Lee
“Imagine all the people living for today.
You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.”‘Imagine’ by John Lennon
“In a dark place we find ourselves, and a little more knowledge lights our way.”
Master Yoda