An interesting analogy

I woke up 5:38 this morning. Normally, I would have rolled over and forced myself to go back to sleep for another hour, but I am determined to exercise everyday. Cardio everyday, and Pilates on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm forcing myself to be committed, because being healthy is more important to me than 60 more minutes of sleep.

As I was attempting to kick and alternate my arms during cardio this morning, wanting to yell ugly words at the instructor, an interesting thought occured to me. Marriage is a lot like exercise. Think about it. Both take hard work and an extraordinary level of commitment to get the results that you want. Making marriage work, like exercise, is not based on feelings. I've heard this a million times but it really hit me this morning. Both are based on a commitment and you have to WANT it to work.

Do you think I wanted to get out of bed at 5:38 this morning and sweat? No, I wanted to stay snuggled up in my bed. Did I want my arms, back, and legs to ache? No! It would have been very easy to just stop and get in the shower. But, I want to be fit so I can enjoy a long healthy life with Richie and my kids. I want to be able to have as much energy with my grandkids as my grandmother had with me and my sister.

Sometimes, marriage is like that, too. I want to have a healthy marriage, so Richie and I work at it. Do we argue? Heck yeah, and it would be so easy for us to just throw our hands up and say, "You know what? I'm done with this." But we don't. We're committed to a healthy marriage. Arguing, and then calmly discussing our points of view, is part of that. Arguing is the stressful part of the workout when your body parts are burning and you've got sweat rolling down your back. After it's over, though, and I'm in the cool-down/stretching phase, I realize how much it's worth it. This is the feeling I'm going for--the sense of accomplishment.

It's the same with my relationship with Richie. Yeah, it gets stressful, but when you look back, you realize the sweat is completely worth it.

Toodles!