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While my son stood next to me, a wad of bloody tissue up one nostril, the wrestling coach said, "There's something about facing a kid your size and, even if you lose or get hurt, knowing you can take it."

Simon, whose nose was now 1.5 times its normal width, wasn't feeling the love. But I understood.

I have come to understand that my week doesn't begin until I've been boxing. I need to wrestle--box--my demons before I feel I've earned my self-esteem for the week. Or maybe I need to be knocked out of my head, both literally and metaphorically, in order to relax and enjoy life. Either way, it works for me.

As soon as I can get my knee healed up, I'll be sparring again, because I miss that day-after, on-top-of-the-world sensation. I'm thinking of bringing Simon along so he can see what his mom is made of. All my push toward sports hasn't added up to much, so, as they say in writing, "Show, don't tell."

Comments

  1. shannonNovember 3, 2011 at 2:03 PM

    glad you know what works for you! that's half the battle. hope your knee is back to fighting form soon!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 7, 2011 at 1:35 PM

    Here's a question: how long does that post-boxing feeling last? I'm thinking of the feeling I get after a more successful vacations and return to work knowing that nothing is so important to get worked up about. Or after working the Scarehouse with it's horror movie surroundings, I feel like nothing can scare me...for about three days. I haven't measured it, but I think that lingering effect lasts an average of about three days for me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amy PhillipsNovember 9, 2011 at 8:46 AM

    Good question. I'd say, "Not long enough." About as long as the headache. Just like your vacation high. So what do we do? I try to build in opportunities for this every week, if I can. Like I said in this post--or maybe I didn't--boxing each week is something I enjoy, but it's also this hurdle, or test, that I subject myself to. I love being there, but at the same time it's a major challenge each week to step foot in there and be ready for anything.

    I'd say keep challenging yourself, breaking up your everyday routine...it's all we can do.

    ReplyDelete

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