Today we were back in the House; God's House. For the first time in six weeks we were able to meet together at church for a gathering which perhaps some of us had begun to take for granted prior to COVID-19. The atmosphere was one of great celebration and excitement.
In keeping with COVID-19 safety advice, the auditorium and the adjoining cafe had been re arranged. Less seats, and not more than two together, in the former, and none at all in the latter. We queued for coffee (not me personally because I don't drink coffee) on crosses marked on the floor and took our caffeinated refreshments outside where we could maintain social distancing. During the period of 'church by video' we also continued to meet in our small groups which we call Connect groups. We did this via Zoom. If you had shares in Zoom before COVID-19 you are among the winners in the world's worst pandemic in a hundred years. Interestingly, when we moved outside, regular Zoom participants didn't come, and those who had either completely or pretty much completely avoided the Zoom sessions were back with a bang. COVID-19 has provided an opportunity for people to evaluate what is important in their lives. The choices we made in response to the restrictions placed upon us by government fiat may have lasting consequences in the 'new normal'. Or not. Will the lock down period, and what we had to do because some choices had been removed, be seen as an aberration which we should build a bridge over? Or will it be seen as a course correction for lives which had become unbalanced and devoid of gratitude? I was initially upset by the closure of gymnasiums. My thrice or four times a week visit to the gym had become a staple of my routine. I saw it as necessary and would only drop a planned session if absolutely necessary. In the first week of no gym, I worked out in the stairwell of our apartment block. My wife and I then decided to go for a walk together in the evenings. This walk turned in to a workout which included interval training and body weight workouts.
What these evening exercise sessions also gave us was invaluable time together to talk. Now we're not just working on our fitness together, we're working on our relationship. However, this is maintenance, not surgery because we are already remarkably in sync. This time of talking and discussing issues keeps us on the same page. It is making us healthier and happier. We chose this. I chose to do this with her, not alone and it was a great decision. I enjoy this time we have so much , I've decided not to not return to the gym. This is just one example of a course correction brought about by COVID-19. I think almost everyone will have done this to some extent because life is all about opportunities and choices. Wisdom is required both to recognize opportunity and to make good choices in response. I believe many people have done, are doing exactly that. The rest will carry on, blind and ignorant to the things which really matter; to those eternal treasures which characterize the kingdom of Heaven.
Gyms are like different countries which many people choose never to visit. However, I have a passport and a permanent visa so I'm a regular visitor. I almost belong to the gym sub-culture. I say almost because I'm a Square Peg. Here's a list of my pet peeves at the gym. I'm sure I'm not the only one bothered by them, but overall these things seem to be generally accepted as normal in the gym sub-culture. 1. The music. Selected by a handful of gym folk, it is a nice blend of jungle music (dance and hip hop), and...more jungle music. I need a metal and rock soundtrack. I could chose the music and share it with everyone else, except for the fact none of the songs I like are available on the "jukebox". My iPod shuffle saves me. 2. The dropping of weights. If people can't put the weight down, then I'd suggest it's too heavy. I'm sure this is not attention seeking behaviour but it does attract attention. 3.Water bottles. It is not far to walk to the bubbler for a drink between sets or exercises, but for many people it is apparently too far. Irony alert.
4. Sitting on equipment but not actually using it. I reckon it's possible to leave your phone in your bag for an hour. It's also possible to have a conversation with your friends whilst not sitting on a particular machine. 5. Excessive grunting. I know it's hard work and it's painful, but some gym folk are Maria Sharapovas. Not seeking attention, but getting it. 6. Racking weights. There are signs everywhere, but it's evidently too hard to put away the weights they use when they've finished. 7. The floor is better than the storage cubes. There are empty spaces for bags to be stowed off the floor, but it's a bit difficult to lift the bag and place it so people just dump them on the floor. 8. Share your conversations with everyone. People who talk really loudly; thus ensuring the whole gym can hear every word. Two final thoughts: I wonder how many other people even notice these things, and secondly I wonder how many people have to fight to overcome the self consciousness I still feel when I'm working out. Maybe, it's just me.
In the previous volume of the book of my life, the last few chapters were marked by a lack of emotional stability and physical exercise. Moving to Darwin has not made any immediate impact on the former, nor had it improved the latter situation until very recently. My search for peace continues, and I must confess to being a tad naive in thinking a change of location would facilitate any alterations to my state of mind. I understand the theory of peace, and I know where to find it, I simply haven't managed to take hold of it yet.
Exercise, on the other hand, is an easy shift. I enjoy exercise. I simply had to make time, and work out how to work out. While I was searching for my own place, and figuring out the intricacies and vagaries of the bus system, I was doing a lot of walking, and at the end of most days I was beat. I was rising at Sparrows and getting home late, so there really was no opportunity to tune the machine which is my body. I pass a couple of gyms on the way to work and into town, so I decided to check them out: primarily I mean cost, but also the atmosphere. I'm not a gym person, and I didn't want to be surrounded by a crowd of beautiful, albeit sweaty bodies. I maybe 48 years old, but I am still a little self conscious, so if I felt like I didn't 'fit', or I sensed a repellent vibe, then that gym was not going to be for me.
Happily I can report that Anytime Fitness has afforded me a free 14 day trial of their facilities. The gym is not packed. It doesn't smell. It's cool, and the staff are very helpful and friendly. Three days into my new regime, I feel comfortable there, and I am learning how to use the various machines. My arms hurt, but I am very happy and grateful to be once again partaking of regular exercise. I feel better already.
It takes a bit of work to keep in shape, especially if you are like me: heading towards 50 and not willing to go on any sort of diet. I've exercised reasonably regularly over the years and am pretty satisfied with my weight and overall physical condition.
Of the many modes of physical exercise I have utilised, running has been a constant. It's odd because I don't really like it and it has certainly not become any easier with practice. I'm still tired and leg weary from the first step to the last. Running isn't fun, but I persist because I reckon it does me good. The end result is what motivates me to throw on my runners early in the morning and hit the road. Of great assistance in this discipline is a little friend who comes with me. My children gave me an iPod shuffle (the only Apple device I own or intend to ever own) for Christmas several years ago, and it provides the beats for my foot pounding exertion. Loaded with an awesome selection of songs I love from band such as Switchfoot and As I Lay Dying, plus everything with crunchy guitars in between. I don't always listen, mind you. Sometimes the music is simply there in the background, calming my mind and allowing me to think. I couldn't punish myself this way without my iPod shuffle, so today I give thanks for this clever little device. Do you exercise? How? How often? Do you listen to music while you do it? P.S. Creeping Death by Metallica provides the best beat to match my gait.
I finally made it back out on to the road for a run this morning after many weeks of recovery and physiotherapy to treat a torn hip flexor muscle. I have missed my morning runs but in their absence I found a new thing to do. Getting up at the same time has provided the opportunity to write this blog (I'm running late now trying to do it.) To write to publishers to inform them that my manuscript has been accepted, to reach out to people on Goodreads, and to check emails. If I can't do one thing then I must find some other habit to fill that void. Routine furnishes me with an anchor for my otherwise tumultuous life. I mean, it's all over the shop these days, but even when, back in the day, it was serene and ordered, I still loved routine. Routine is a refuge from chaos, and at the very least it helps maintain the illusion that I am in control.
A couple of mornings each week, I go out for a run accompanied by my iPod shuffle. Shuffle is a pretty good word to describe my style in the initial phases of the workout. It takes me a while to find a stride and I have to spend a lot of time stretching before and after. I'm always amused by how stiff and sore I feel when I start, and how I feel like I am dying throughout most of the journey around the suburban circuit. There's pain in my ankle. My knee aches. I can't breathe. My legs feel like anchors. At the end, after I've sprinted home and onto my porch to begin my warm down, I feel good, and I'm pleased that I compelled myself out onto the unforgiving bitumen and concrete. This discipline is of benefit to me: body, mind and soul. During these self imposed torture sessions, randomly selected songs from my playlist provide impetus and sustenance. It's all rock, mostly hard, and heavy metal. Sometimes, I listen to the songs. Sometimes, I erratically move my arms and my head which really disturbs my rhythm and sometimes, I even gasp along with familiar lyrics. The music allows me to focus. My mind can run away and play in fertile fields of imagination while my body is left to suffer as a beast of burden. These road runs are among my most creative and productive times as new ideas and possible solutions to problems are born. In the midst of the noise and the agony, while my body demands I cease the insanity, and blinds me with sweat, I can also reflect and pray. I am prone to excessive reflection. I have a propensity to think too much and to over think, but I recognize this as a gift, and I run with it- pardon the pun. Yesterday, it was the Offspring who got me thinking with their song, A Lot Like Me, and especially these lines
Where do you run? Where do you go? When the holes in your truth are beginning to show. When and where are you particularly creative? What is your reaction to these song lyrics?
Interestingly, when we moved outside, regular Zoom participants didn't come, and those who had either completely or pretty much completely avoided the Zoom sessions were back with a bang. COVID-19 has provided an opportunity for people to evaluate what is important in their lives. The choices we made in response to the restrictions placed upon us by government fiat may have lasting consequences in the 'new normal'. Or not.
