Saturday, June 26, 2010

A Cherokee Legend

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

This fight goes on within me all the time. Regarding my fitness regimen, the wolf I fed all too often convinced me that I didn’t need to work out and that I’d be able to turn it back on and get in shape whenever I wanted. Last February, after years of feeding that wolf, I determined he was wrong and began feeding the one that said don’t put it off until tomorrow. He is healthy and strong now and dominates my thinking and actions.

I was pretty sure though, that today would be an off-day. I hadn’t taken one in two weeks and certainly needed it. My abdominals have been sore for three weeks and though I’d run strong yesterday, I’ve been sluggish all week.

I went to my landscaping job at 8:30 a.m. and worked until 1:30 p.m. It was hot and humid and I dropped a couple of buckets of sweat. I was decently exhausted when I finished there and bypassed the park, opting for a rest and maybe a ride later in the afternoon. It never happened…and I’m fine with that because it truly was the plan. The running wolf lives in me again…and he knew I needed a break.