Like A Champ

I haven’t written much lately.  Life has come at me pretty hard and I feel like I have been Bludgeon to a bloody lump. So much time has been spent riding the wave of the high I was on, that I completely forgot that I am still human and that sucky things still happen.

Of course when I get all down and out, I turn to my faith for guidance, encouragement, and inspiration. So much can be learned by just spending time alone with the Almighty. It amazes me the different ways that God can speak to me….The majesty of the beauty of nature, His words in the Bible, the love and support of family and friends, and Rocky Balboa.

If you have spent anytime reading my Blog, you know that I can’t get enough of Sylvester Stallone’s famed character, Rocky. From the moment I watched the first installment, I was hooked. In each and every movie, Rocky is knocked down in life as well as the Boxing ring. What makes him so loveable though is his reaction when he gets knocked down.

He ALWAYS gets back up.

Now it may take Rocky a hot minute to realize he needs to keep throwing punches, but he never fails to drag himself up off the floor each and every time.  He’s a fighter, it is just in his nature.

Lately life has been throwing some strong punches and I have been so tempted to just stay down and wait for the fight to be called.  After experiencing seven months of absolute victory, and feeling a little over confident, some strong opponents have crept out of the shadows, throwing some mighty powerful punches that have left me seeing stars.

After nearly rupturing my Achilles Tendon I am benched from going out and doing the one thing that I love to do….HIKE. Being unable to do the thing that makes you feel alive and at peace sucks. There is just no better word for it. It totally SUCKS.

 

For the past couple of weeks, I have put a big smile on my face, strapped Big Bertha (that is the name I gave to the monstrosity of a cast I am forced to wear for 13-14 hours a day) to my foot, and laugh and make jokes about my Frankenstein walk. But on the inside I am a blubbering mess.

It just sucks.

While I know I will soon be back on both feet, I don’t like the wait. And I certainly don’t like dragging Big Bertha everywhere I go.

So I pout. A lot. And I throw things when I am home. And complain. And scream, “Why me?!?!?” at least 50 times during the course of the day.

I have been pretty pathetic.

Then today, I was reminded how true champions act.

Remember my obsession with Rocky? Well, believe it or not, there are some very valuable lessons that the Italian Stallion offers in each and every one of his dramatic sagas. My most favorite comes from the 6 installment of the series, Rocky Balboa. Rocky is having a moment with his , now grown son, Robert. He is stressing to him the importance of understanding life isn’t perfect, and what separates champions from wimps is how they react. He gives one of the most beautiful speeches ever written.

I love the speech so much that I have it printed off and it hangs on my wall at work. I look at it a thousand times a day, but today, I actually stopped and read each word…..

Those words hit me like a ton of bricks.  Whining,  throwing tantrums, screaming, and making others feel my misery, while somewhat therapeutic and refreshing, is NOT how I keep moving forward. All that does is make me look like I am ready for the REAL HOUSEWIVES franchise.  The only way I move forward is by getting back up each and EVERY time I am knocked down.

There are times it takes every ouch of courage, energy, and prayer I have to get back up, but if I don’t I am going to be down for the count. My absolute favorite part of Rocky when he is fighting Apollo for the first time. Rocky goes down hard, and is struggling to get back up. Everyone around him is telling him to stay down, so the fight can be called and they can drag his limp body out of the ring. But Rocky doesn’t stay down….He struggles, and it’s difficult, but he gets back up on his feet achieving victory.

That is what I need to do. Right now, things are rough. But I refuse to lay down on the mat and hear the bell ring that I am done.

Champs get up when they get knocked down, and that is exactly what I intend to do.

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/bludgeon/”>Bludgeon</a&gt;