The Art of Tolerating Pain

As the years have progressed I like to look at myself as a regular endurer of pain. I have done the same thing many times that results in me being incredibly sore, which is majorly stupid. Right? But still, being stupid does have its benefits.
I remember a time when I was out of shape and the first day of cross country freshman year of high school was one of the most eye opening experiences. Not monumental in retrospect but at the time all that was going through my head was, "Wow. Who knew that high school sport workouts were such a HUGE step-up from middle school?" Of course I expected a difference in intensity, but it still surprised me. It was too bad in reality. I had my older sister (who was a senior at the time) to ask a whole bunch of questions and complain to. But she was actually pretty good already, don't ask me how because I don't believe she ran too terribly much.
The second day came and the coaches got down to the more intense stuff, or so it seemed for a terrified little incoming freshman. I wasn't too bad for a freshman that hadn't run most of the summer, which made me feel better about myself and I had a friend that was the same level as me and we complained together. It's quite nice to have someone to complain with. Mutual pain is much more bearable than pain by yourself. Let me tell you how much that helped.
So the next day I heard my alarm go off, startled by the obnoxious buzzing noise of it vibrating on my bookcase. And as soon as I moved to sit up I felt it. One of the worst pains I had ever experienced. My back ached, muscles crying out to stop moving and return to bed. I gathered my foggy wits and decided that my back muscles hurting was okay. I could deal with that. So I moved to swing my legs over the side of the bed, the buzzing still insistent in the background and I felt it again. My thighs, hamstrings, calves, hips. They all cried out in pain, screaming to my nerves that I should just stop being motivated. Screw the alarm. I don't have to go to cross country today. But my mind decided otherwise. My legs were fine, I could deal with that. So I got up, hunched over in pain from the sheer action of standing and hobbled over to my phone. I reached out to silence the stupid thing and what do ya know? My entire arm was tight. My muscles hurt like no other. I didn't know the stupefying number of how many place you could hurt at once.
I still remember that first day of being sore. Yet that shocking pain did nothing to motivate me as the seasons went by. Track freshman year, didn't run in the off season either. Sophomore cross country, nope. Sophomore track, no again. Now it is my senior year and I have yet to learn the lesson. Maybe when track comes around. I'll make sure to run in this next off season. Am I telling the truth? I sure hope so. Am I gonna do it for sure? I sure wish I will. Can anybody know for sure if I will actually stick to it? Nope. I guess time will tell. The one thing I do know for sure though is that no matter if I run a lot or none at all, the first day won't be as painful as expected. Because the one thing I have learned from my stupidity in not running in the off season is that my body is getting more and more conditioned to my abusive laziness. I have now mastered the art of tolerating pain from being sore. It's just a fact. Will that affect my decision to do well during the season after I've already put myself through this, heck yeah. If my body is willing to deal with the pain then I'm willing to work harder to get better faster so I can catch up to the people who have a two month head start. I'm not gonna lie though. I can be honest with you guys. One of the only reasons I stay motivated about getting better anymore after not running off season is because my body has shown me that it can bounce back much more quickly than others. In the last three years of doing this, I have gone from the complete bottom to the top in less than three weeks. Every time. Without fail. I just hope this time will be no different.

Down on My Knees

There is some music in this world that can bring people to tears in seconds. It can make even the most locked up person expose their true thoughts and ideas. This kind of music varies for all people. Some songs trigger something in one person but not another. And that is what makes this kind of music so rare and unique.
Today I found the song that does this to me. It may not for you but I ask you to at least humor me and listen to it with an open mind. In fact, what would make this type of song most effective is to go into a dark room, close your eyes and let all thoughts leave your mind. Listen to this song in complete isolation, letting it consume you and release all sight of the real world for a brief amount of time. I hope you can feel the same pull that I do from this song. Something about it just grabs me and doesn't let go. If this makes any sense, it is so captivating that I would rather learn the lyrics to it by listening to it many times over rather than ever seeing the lyrics written in any form. It is so that I never want to see the lyrics anywhere but in my mind or hear them as I sing along or just listen. Doing this will allow it to stay surreal forever, which in turn keeps all the uniqueness in place.

The Most Wonderful Discovery

So today I was watching a movie that started out unimpressive but as it progressed I enjoyed it a little. I even happened to shake my head at the characters and their stupid mistakes. And by the end I still was impressed, but ten minutes before it ended there was a huge curveball thrown and it actually made me fall in love with the movie. It was really quite genius, but that is not what this post is about. As the movie ended a song came on that is known in my mind as one of my sisters favorite songs.

And as I listened to it and watched the happily ever after ending of the movie I began to really like it for the first time. It's weird how listening to songs in different contexts can make it more enjoyable or less interesting. I've noticed this difference between when I listen to a song for the first time in the car while I'm driving versus on my laptop or Ipod. It is quite amazing how that affects it. So without further ado I present to you the best video I have ever found for the song. You and I by Ingrid Michaelson.

Just because I'm feeling like sharing today I'll give you another song that I found by this same Youtuber named tinydoodlez. This song just caught my attention right away. I hope you enjoy it.

I can't resist it. I have to share another. This song didn't quite grab me despite it being entertaining in the beginning but the man's part in the song is what really intrigued me. Last one. I swear.

I hope this brightened your day a little more to see some cute doodles to songs. Because I know it sure did with me.