If you know me at all, you know that generally... I don't take things
too seriously. I don't take myself that seriously. I love joking
around and I speak fluent sarcasm. Sometimes, people think I'm
complaining, but in reality, I'm just trying to make things less scary.
These past 5 weeks of the Open have brought out some other things in
me, and I thought I'd share them with you. I've seriously been working
on this for 5 weeks, so... enjoy!
There are so many things about CrossFit that I LOVE.
And a few things I don't love. There are things I excel at. There are
things that I think I will NEVER be able to do. It's so easy to love!
I love the intense (Oh, Em, Gee... I'm going to die) workouts.
I love the way I feel when I get to do a lift or movement I am strong at.
I love when I PR. Who doesn't?
I love when realize I actually CAN do something.
I love the people I get to see almost every day.
I love when I get to witness someone else's accomplishments.
I love the community I get to be a part of.
I love when my non-CrossFit friends ask me, "You PAY to do that???"
I even hold a special place for the bruises I get from this crazy sport.
But what about all that stuff I don't love??
Instead of telling you what I don't love, I am going to tell you what I love *about* what I don't love. Ya with me?
**I love that when I see a WOD that scares me, I know that I'm not
alone in that feeling because we all stand around the whiteboard and whine about it for at least 5 minutes.
**I love that if I were to ever think about skipping a WOD, there are
people that will hold me accountable for it and call me out on
Facebook.
**I love that when I feel like quitting, there is always someone
there to encourage me, or in some cases, say to me, "Jen! Pick the bar
up. NOW."
**I love when I see someone KILLING the WOD, it fuels me to push a
little harder. There are so many "When I grow up, I wanna be just
like..." athletes that this applies to. Yes, I'm talking about YOU.
**I love that I might walk into the box feeling like I need a pity
party, but walk out feeling strong enough to be a shoulder for someone
else. Even if it's a little (ok, a lot) sweaty. And dirty. Really,
really dirty.
**I love that even though the Open was hard, and frustrating, and at
times I thought, "what's the point?"... I love that when it comes up
again, I will be stronger. I will be better. Please note: This does
not apply to 14.5. You can keep that one.
**Speaking of 14.5..... I love when a WOD literally makes me cry, it
usually means I was working through something that needed to come out.
And it really does bring out the green in my eyes, so it's a win/win!
In all seriousness, loving what I don't love might be the best part
about this awesome sport I LOVE. Let's face it: It will always
celebrate when I don't suck.
But, more importantly, it will consistently challenge me. It will
consistently put me in my place. It will consistently remind me that I
will have a bad day, but that I will come back from it stronger. It
consistently reminds me that I am not without friends or support on my
worst days: my ugly, what-did-you-do-to-your-hair, I suck at everything,
why can't I be like X,Y, Z... kind of days.
Here's to loving what you don't love, on the daily. :)