Getting Stronger, Even if it Kills Me
March 12, 2021 by Kim Stokely
Filed under Humor, Stories
By Kim Stokely –
A young friend (I now consider anyone under the age of 40 to be young) recently posted on Facebook, “It’s amazing how running makes you feel better. I love endorphins!”
I stared at the post for several seconds. I reread it two or three times to make sure I understood her meaning. Then I posted the following snarky comment in response, “I can safely say that running has never made me feel that way. Although I always feel better after I exercise, I think it’s my body’s way of thanking God that I’m still alive!”
I hate to run. Actually, I hate all exercise. Hate is probably too gentle a word. I despise it with every fiber of my being. I have nightmares of passing out on our elliptical machine only to be found hours later by one of my children while the pedals mysteriously keep turning and whacking me in the head. It’s quite frightening. It reminds me of the phrase, “That which doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger.” I can only hope my battle with the elliptical is making me stronger, because most days, I feel like I’m losing the war.
My loathing of exercise is one of the reasons why I hate action movies. They depress me. I know I’d be the person left behind to be captured by the terrorists or become dinner for the aliens because I couldn’t keep up with the rest of the group. And those scenes of the heroine clutching onto a cliff or window ledge by her fingers? I cringe every time, not because I’m scared the heroine won’t hold on, but because I know, if that was me, I’d be plummeting to my demise in a matter of seconds.
Why is it so often the things that are best for us are the hardest to do? It’s far easier to stay in bed an extra hour in the morning than get up and exercise. And how come we can stay up an extra half hour to watch a television show, but opening up our Bible before going to bed is so difficult? I think it’s because the things that are the best for us, don’t provide us with instant rewards. An extra hour in bed makes that morning a little easier to handle. Making the effort to exercise means working harder each day for a long time before our bodies begin to transform into leaner, healthier machines. The laughter a half-hour comedy show provides is an instant distraction to the troubles of the day. Spending a half-hour in God’s word means taking the time to examine our hearts in the light of His truth, and letting it work its way into the very fabric of our souls.
The best things in life aren’t free, and they certainly aren’t easy, but they are worth the effort. And so I’m off to face the instrument of torture, I mean the elliptical. Wish me luck. And kids, if I’m not in the kitchen when you get home from school, please make sure I haven’t passed out while getting stronger.
Kim Stokely has toured throughout the country in a one-person musical about women in the Bible. She lives in Nebraska with her husband and a variety of creatures including: two teenagers, two dogs, a parakeet and a legless lizard. Her stories have been printed in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Vista, and Writers’ Journal and she invites you to visit her website @ www.kimstokely.com to read her award winning short story, Bingo.
Lol…I loved it and it bespoke of how probably a good majority actually feel about exercise and our daily existence. We live in an instant society so the things we do and the things we want have to give us quick gratification so we can say we are alright. Thank you for writing it…well done! 🙂 Oh…and I hate, loathe, despise, reject, abhor….and all out cant stand exercising!! Lol
Kim – you’re awesome. How long have you been at this? I promise, if you keep with it, you’ll experience those endorphins. I keep in mind that Im doing it for my kids, quite frankly, we both know they are going to need me for a long time. I’d hate for Miranda to show up on your doorstep some day…
Your writing is beautiful, articulate and funny all at the same time, as usual.
Thanks Julie! And I may have to put your daughter “on-call” to check up on me once mine move out! I’ll need someone to make sure I’ve survived the next workout!
Well put as always my dear, and of course you always make me smile with your “funnies” 😛 I have the same problem when it comes to my therapy. So much easier to think about how much I could accomplish if I would do therapy A, B, C, and D every day for a month without fail. And of course, I am thinking very hard about this as I sit in my power wheelchair or recliner…lol Then, of course, all that thinking has made me tired, so I appropriately doze off or find something to do on the computer…lol
Thanks for such a very true and pointy post. Maybe I should read the Word while I treadmill…nah, I’d drip sweat all over it.
Your welcome. 😉
Your article made me laugh, Kim, and think about what kind of exercise you might enjoy–perhaps a street elliptical on wheels, the one advertised on late-night TV. Best case, the scenery would change with every step.
Then again, any exercise is beneficial, body and spirit, if we let it be. Don’t give up. Keep us posted on your fitness goals and achievements.
Ha! Wake up, Kim. It’s just a dream.
Kim,
Beautifully written, and oh, so true! I keep wondering why anyone would use a carrot on a stick to entice an animal to move forward…wouldn’t any self-respecting creature prefer a bar of chocolate?
Thanks everyone for the kind words. I just wish I could find an exercise I enjoyed doing. Anyone have any ideas???
Couch surfing?
LOL- I’m pretty good at that! Also “page turning.” Mentally it’s a very taxing exercise and there’s always the danger of injury. Those paper cuts can really hurt!