Music to my ears! These words made me beam with pride. They made me gleefully smile from ear to ear. But why? Who wants to be told they smell? You stink. Ewww, get away from me.
So last week, I completed my personal best on my elliptical since my last surgery - 30 minutes. When I started about 5 -6 weeks ago, my cardio strength had tanked. I was huffing and puffing at five minutes. My hip did not limit me at all, but my cardiac capability had and I have been adding minutes each few days to my elliptical work out. This day was a day that I combined my elliptical workout with all of my PT assigned exercises. And then, to top it off, I also added my arms and shoulders! Needless to say, I was sweating so much so that I even heard the sound of my sweat dropping on my mat as I held a plank.
As I completed my workout and went to get some water, I stood next to my husband in the kitchen and, with a crinkled nose, his reaction was, “You stink!” And I wore it. I know I was a little ripe, but it was the smell of success. It was the culmination of a very difficult, feeling filled week for me.
My smell and my sweat symbolized many unseen achievements in addition to my improved strength. It was the shedding of emotion and defeat. It was the empowered feeling that maybe things, even if they feel uphill now, could still be achievable. It also symbolized my ability to work through some thoughts of hopelessness. So as my husband declared my malodorous state, my defiant response was to lift my armpit up with pride and declare, “I know! Isn’t it great that I could work this hard?”
Let the music of your achievement permeate the air! Embrace the stink of hard work. Grab the odor of emotion and wear it. Work through it. Remain hopeful even when you just want to sit with the stench of defeat.