The unexpected journey
My trip to Alaska in 2023 was the greatest moment of my life. My parents overcame whatever limitations they had to take the 16-hour journey and meet me in Anchorage for the cruise. In my fitness life, it was a coming out party. I was about 30 pounds heavier than now, but it was the time that I knew my body could take on more – and I was going to show my parents that in Alaska. I found the most adventurous excursion on the itinerary for each day and signed up for it. A 26-mile bike ride; a hike; a helicopter ride onto a glacier; and rock climbing! Never had I ever done any of those before except for a hike. I had not even ridden an outdoor bike in over 20 years. All but the rock climbing went extremely well. The climbing went well too in that I climbed two easy routes terrified but without harm. But I refused to try rappelling at the end of the day. With respect to rock climbing, I felt like I left something in the tank, so I gave it another shot the following spring. You probably know how that turned out. Still, showing my parents – and the world – all that I could do with my new body – and proving to myself that I could do it, and more – is why it was the greatest moment of my life.
But life is not as perfect as that story above . . .
Am I Sisyphus?
In Greek mythology, the story of Sisyphus is about a man who was punished for eternity by endlessly having to push a massive boulder up a hill as it would roll back down each time just before reaching the top. Some interpretations of the story view this struggle as describing an endless and pointless task. But another, written by Albert Camus in his essay, The Myth of Sisyphus, concludes by explaining that it’s the struggle that “is enough to fill a man’s heart.” The piece ends with the line, “One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
In many ways, right now I feel like Sisyphus. But I’m not happy. I see the story of Sisyphus a bit differently. While he may have been condemned to push the boulder up the hill for eternity, any real-world interpretation of this must account for our free will to engage in such struggle. And while struggle brings change and growth, it does not guarantee happiness.
Legally Fit at One Year — Win the Day 201
When I recently told a friend that tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of when I launched Legally Fit, she said, “Wow, that went by fast!” My response, “Not for me, it didn’t!” This is my 45th post of the year – far more than I ever imagined when I set out to do this. It added a whole new layer to my life – all while working my day job as a lawyer, maintaining a very active fitness routine, and living life to the fullest. And as I reflect back to where it all began, it so appropriately started with my Win the Day post.
Of all that I’ve shared over the past year, there’s no method, concept, or mantra that I find more important to the success of my journey than winning the day. I really do ask myself every day what it takes to win it. Sometimes I win and sometimes I lose. But focusing on what winning the day means each day is more about being in the frame of mind for success than it is about the actual wins or losses. I win more days because I define it at the beginning of the day than I would if I simply looked back afterwards and only then thought for the first time about what winning meant.
Legally Fit — Finding My Passion Project
Full disclosure . . . Legally Fit did not begin because I wanted to share my story. In fact, I never wanted to do that. Looking back on where I let my body get to was not something I enjoyed thinking about, and I rarely if ever spent time reflecting on it. Those were not my happiest times, and even now as I write about my story here each week, reliving many of those moments brings back memories of embarrassment and shame.
The blog began simply because of my passion for fitness. That’s what I wanted to share. Over the past 11 years on this journey, I’ve learned so much while taking on many new activities and challenges, and I love everything about it. But given that I am not a certified personal trainer or a professional athlete, I realized that the perspective I bring is one that must involve my story. I am a lawyer who has learned the value of incorporating fitness into my busy schedule, and my life was forever changed by that lesson.
Fifty for 50!
Today is my 50th birthday, and I’m celebrating it with friends on a golf trip at Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. In lieu of writing this week, I’ve come up with a list of my 50 fitness favorites at 50.