Ladies and gentlemen, I already won a fight today. It was with myself. Gentlemen, fair warning, you might want to leave now. If you keep reading it's on you ;).
This morning I woke up with really painful cramps. Yup, those ones. As though Mother Nature was saying, "FINE, you don't want to procreate? How about being violently and repeatedly stabbed in the uterus from the inside out?" It was not looking good for my workouts, but I took my energize, some ibuprofen, and hoped for the best.
I started the warm up and had to run to the bathroom. Ladies - I know you know what I'm talking about. Gentlemen - I'll reward the few of you who were brave enough to throw caution to the wind and badass enough to stay with me here - by not elaborating on this any further.
So let's just say I took my phone with me, and I was looking for a particular picture I took in Italy in 2011. I came across a bunch from Cinque Terre, a steep mountainous region on the water that is beautific beyond words. One of the many things that struck me most about this place is that despite the limited flat terrain, the people of this region, knowing they had to take advantage of the optimal growing climate (and likely needing a marketable export other than olives) pioneered a way to make it work: planting grapes straight up the steep mountainsides overlooking the sea. Installing mesh metal nets to catch the grapes should they fall from the vine, and, without the space or ability to maneuver equipment around, hand picking the grapes and carrying them in baskets overhead.
That sounds crazy, right? Grape trees aren't meant to grow on the steep slope of a mountain. But therein lies the beauty, and the strength, and the love.
I want to make this about being a strong Italian woman. But I won't. Not just because I'm only part Italian (which my full-blooded Sicilian great aunt wastes NO time in mentioning). But because this principle is applicable across all divides and subdivisions.
Some of the most amazing stories in history are from overcoming obstacles, "common sense," and the hurdles that nature and nurture throw up in your path. If you're trying to think of a quick example, start with the world being flat. Then move onto Abraham Lincoln and how he failed at virtually everything he tried before he became president (born into poverty, lost 8 elections, suffered a nervous breakdown, twice failed in business), and and most Americans refer to him as the best president this nation has ever seen.
In that grand scheme of things, my "struggle" of getting my workout in this morning despite how crappy I felt seems insignificant - a tiny grape seed. But it's that grape seed that fights to survive living on the side of a mountain. I must water it and protect it. I must allow it to breathe. I must never give up on it.
Because that seed is hope. Faith. The unwavering certainty that no matter what society says, I'm on a path to greatness. It's more than fitness. It's discipline. It's love. It's stepping into my destiny and inviting others to do the same.
So if the following quote sounds as empowering to you as it feels to me, please drop a comment or share this post.
"If grapes can grow straight up the side of a mountain, I can do this workout." - me.
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