Life and Other Stuff

I rode my bike this morning, in a class I’d done previously. I love repeating classes in the Peloton catalog on demand, because it gives tangible evidence of progress. You can literally race your past self up the leaderboard. I find it, along with silly digital badges, incredibly motivating.

I thought about my 2021 self as I pedaled. Where we were living and what day to day life was like just a couple of years ago and how much has changed in a relatively short amount of time. Envisioning our old living room and my mini gym corner, 2021 would be so damn proud and excited about where we are now. She’d kill to be here. I found myself rooting for her, as she trailed up the leaderboard, not quite able to keep up with 2024.

2024 needed to have this moment with 2021. She got us to here. She pedaled, and walked dogs, and lifted weights. She got on the meditation cushion and found some space. She laid some strong foundations.

It’s like there’s all these different versions of ourselves. Past selves we’ve shed and outgrown. And, there are future versions of us that are cheering us on from the road ahead, rooting for us as we make our way. Sometimes the busy of the now gets in the way of hearing the faint echo of that encouragement.

This led me to think about my future self. Where will 2030 me be? 2035? 2040? Maybe because yesterday I completed another trip around the sun or that my 30 year class reunion is coming up – but it definitely had me thinking about looking back, as well as forward. Where will future me be because of what I’m doing for her today? Am I lifting heavy things and doing the push ups and carrying my groceries from the store to the car without the cart? You bet. I want 2040 to be crazy strong. Doing the hard stuff now, so that I can keep doing stuff. Training for life. Training for living. Perhaps 2040 is screaming at the top of her lungs, “KEEP GOING! You are doing AWESOME! I’m SO PROUD of YOU!” I definitely felt that watching 2021 today.

Comparison is the thief of joy, especially in terms of fitness. No sense in comparing where you are today with someone who hasn’t walked in your shoes and vice versa. Gratitude is an effective antidote to comparison. It’s you against you.

Or maybe…It’s you FOR you.