by Tyler Quinn
Specifically, Memorial Day is a day for all Americans to stop and remember those who have died in service to our country. More generally, it is a reminder to all of us to express gratitude and appreciation to all service members past and present. And lastly, most generally, it is a day for all of us to loosen our grip on the comfort of our own lives, much of which has been provided upon the backs of those same servicemen and women, to do a little sacrificing of our own.
Sacrifice, of course, is simply a matter of giving more than usual, more than is expected, more than you’re comfortable giving, more than you think you can give, so that somebody else either directly, or indirectly might benefit or feel more alive as a result of your effort. Memorial Day is about making a sacrifice, no matter how big or small, to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Next to our men and women in uniform, the suffering we all experience at the tail end of an A10 or A20 pales in comparison. And yet, the idea of putting more into your workout seems a fitting way to honor them. After all, isn’t a great deal of military service about physical discomfort? Isn’t it about voluntary discomfort? Isn’t it about courageous people saying to themselves “I’m going to do this thing, and I know it’s going to hurt, and that it may kill me, but I’m going to do it anyway”?
So do the same. And don’t do it so you get fitter, or better looking, do it in honor of somebody else, anybody else, who has made an even bigger, more uncomfortable, scarier sacrifice for you.
This isn’t just about the workout, either. It’s about every posture from standing at attention to your final downward facing dog. Do it better. Be better. And do it in honor of somebody else. After the workout is over, when many people often opt to leave the room a pinch early, stay put. Stay focused. And focus on somebody else. When you take your three breaths to finish your class, take them deeply. Take them with intention. Take them to honor the last breaths given two hundred and fifty, one hundred and fifty, fifty, ten, or even one year ago by somebody you’ll never know, who you’ve never met, but who died for something we all so thoughtlessly enjoy every single day.
Need some inspiration? http://mymemorialday.org/remember/
This year we’re banding together to support the Wounded Warrior Project. Each location will have a donation jar at the Front Desk – together we can make a big difference. Have a safe and happy Memorial Day, Alchemy.
Tyler Quinn is a Coach and Co-Founder of Alchemy. In his spare he enjoys reading, gun-slinging, jiu-jitsu, and playing with his Golden Retriever, Fletcher.
