When The Going Gets Tough
Tough times will always come. The level of difficulty, however, is relative for different kinds of people and at varying periods in their lives. No matter the size of the problem, it is one’s ability to confront these trials that is vital to one’s survival on this rocky road of life.
Running, or any other sport that challenges your strengths and pushes you beyond your limitations, builds your endurance physically but more importantly, mentally. When faced with a seemingly insurmountable task, a mountain climber can recall conquering Mt. Everest and think “If I can climb the highest mountain in the world, what else can I not do?” When life throws too many problems at a runner, she can remind herself of her last marathon and think “Hang on. The finish line will soon be in sight.”
The past few weeks have been a roller coaster ride for me. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would say most days were 2’s but there were quite a number of days that peaked at 10 in terms of fear and stress. Twice this month, I had to take my boy for a blood test to check for dengue. With a low fever that persisted for days, he wasn’t eating and could barely stand on his own. During the hours that we’d wait with bated breath for the test results, I feared to even think of what we would do had the tests proven positive. Thankfully, after almost two weeks with fever, he is now fully recovered.
Right now, I am seated in my daughter’s dental office, waiting and waiting and waiting during these three long hours that they sedated her to work on over 10 cavities. The procedure, as we’ve been told, is not entirely fool-proof so, as much as we trust the anesthesiologist and dentist who are caring for her, I am still extremely anxious and worried until I can hold her safely in my arms.
Coupled with these worries is the task of juggling my load of work. I am struggling to make my deadlines for projects that have come at me all at the same time. Are there enough hours in a day for me to get all these done?
My fears are nothing compared to others, but there is nothing that makes a mother more anxious than to see her child in pain. Work issues can be set aside, but no, not my children.
During these times, I recall seeing the flyover ahead of me during the Adidas KOTR. It was an uphill climb that, I thought, would be utterly tiring and difficult. Ugh, I muttered. But, after plodding my way up, I found it to be surprisingly easy and effortless. It was all in the mind, really.
Last night, I literally ran my stress away. Most of you will agree that it is truly a great pain reliever. I ran 10k on my treadmill at full speed leaving my worries behind. That hour of running gave me strength to face this day. It hasn’t completely alleviated the anxiety, but it has helped me gain a more positive outlook. Even if the weather is gloomy outside, the sun shines brighter on my front. Everything is gonna be alright.
