July 12, 2024 “Life will not slow down for you!”
On Monday I was walking with a client offering encouragement on her run. This client missed the previous week's Monday runday, because she stated, “I can do cardio on my own”. After seeing the look on my face, she then changed her reason (excuse) to her knee hurting. When I asked her where her knee support was, she then had another excuse “I don’t like running and I don’t want to be the last one”.
As I see it, running is a personal journey. It can be hard because there is no one to blame or get mad at about the run but yourself. It’s a time when your body is truly speaking to you. It aches from all the bad food or lack of hydration. It reveals injuries, due to not stretching or recovering properly. It makes us feel like crap from years of abuse of our bodies. So, instead of admitting our issues, making changes, and executing a plan, we just come up excuse after excuse or blame others for our downfall.
As we walked, I shared a story with my client, about why to this day I walk so fast and why I joined the track team/cross country team in high school. To help you understand, in high school I was extremely tiny. I probably weighed 70 lbs. soaking wet. I was so tiny that my mother was still shopping for clothes, for teenage me in the kids’ section. Additionally, I was short for my age.
My sisters and I were all in high school at the same time. We were called the “La La Girls”. LaShawn 5’11” in the 12th grade, LaCretia 5’8” in the 10th grade and LaTasha maybe 4’10” in the 9th grade. As you can see there was quite a height difference. No one could believe I was actually in high school; I was often mistaken for someone in the 5th or 6th grade.
My sisters and I would walk about a mile to school together. As a freshman I was super excited to walk to school with my big sisters until…
As we started the first week of high school, and we began our walks, I realized my sister’s normal pace of walking was me jogging. I tried my best to walk fast, however with carrying my backpack and lunch it was a challenge to keep up. I was exhausted by the time we got to the second block. I asked them to slow down, but they both looked at me like it’s only a mile walk, keep up. Many mornings I cried and threatened to tell momma if they didn’t slow down.
By the end of the first week, I was fed up. When I went to my mom, she immediately asked me if I wanted to get a whopping. I was confused, shouldn’t they get a whopping for making me run or for leaving me?
My mother says you’re coming to me crying and complaining because you can’t keep up. She asked were your sisters mean to you, “I said no”, she said did they say or do something to you, “I said no”. She then said get use to it, this is real life and real life does not slow down for anyone.
She said you will either have to learn to walk faster or be okay with walking by yourself. This hit hard and then I thought, I was always athletic, I started cheering at the age of 7 years old. I was always competing with the boys in the neighborhood because none of the girls came close to me in running or they just didn’t like getting dirty. I would play football, red rover and try with all my might to break through those arm walls. I lived for jumping off garages and other high places. I guess I would have been considered a tomboy.
So, one day I saw a sign posted for the cross-country team tryouts. I thought this would be a great way to learn to walk faster. I tried out for the team and made it. Cross country was 3 1/2 miles through woods on hilly dirt trails. My kind of fun.
I figured if I could run 3 1/2 miles in a race and in practice, walking a fast mile to school would be a great way to warm up and keep up with my sisters. I was right. I ended up qualifying every year for the state finals. I was ranked #9 in the city of Detroit. In the spring I joined the track team, in the summer I joined Cheetah Track Club, and I traveled around Michigan and attended a few out of state track meets. So basically, I ran year-round.
Needless to say, my walks to school were now fun with my sisters. We laughed, sang, talked junk and the best part was they didn’t have to change their pace for me. This was one of the best lessons my mother could have taught me… Life does not slow down for anyone!
So, I say stop complaining, making excuses, and blaming others for what you cannot do. Only you are responsible for where you are and why you aren't where you want to be. The question is what are you willing to do to adjust your sail and change course?
The statement "Life will not slow down for you!" means that life will continue to move at its own pace, regardless of how you feel or what you're going through. It's a reminder that time won't stop or slow down just because you're facing challenges, feeling overwhelmed, or need a break. I hope that after reading this you are encouraged to keep up with the pace of life, take control, and make the most of every moment. It’s a great reminder to prioritize self-care, stay focused, and find ways to manage stress and anxiety in a fast-paced world. No Mess
