For those of you who don’t know, one of my old friends from Hawaii took his own life on Sunday. He battled depression and lost. I feel for his family and so many of us friends but I cannot let this bring me back to my own depression. I must continue to Choose Happy – even when heartbroken by such tragic news.
After being in a haze last night and most of this morning I decided to focus on the happy memories my friend and I shared. I found my smile again and tried to focus at the office as best I could.
The lunch hour rolled in and I made every excuse I could think of to opt out of going to the gym: “Give yourself a break”, “you’re exhausted”, “it’s okay to skip today”, “you can work out twice as hard tomorrow” – and on and on.
Then something happened.
I thought about my friend who passed away and I began to get angry. I am angry his life was cut short because of his depression and pissed off he didn’t want to fight it any longer. I thought about all the many times I wanted to give in – and have given in – until I knew I was in trouble. This anger propelled me to get up from my office chair, grab my keys and sunglasses and drive to the gym.
I had a great workout because of how pissed off I was. Also, I thought about how grateful I am for so many things, especially to be alive. I guess anger and gratitude can spin in to a kick ass cardio day.
So tell me – what are you grateful for?
