Pushing Through Pain
If the one thing my fifties has shown me is that I’m no longer in my thirties, or forties, for that matter. In my youth, I was a three sport athlete - volleyball, basketball, and track - and thought absolutely nothing about running and jumping around all the time, like it was nothing. I guess it was nothing back then, and in the clarity of my fifties, it’s somewhat sobering to know that exercise is no longer an option for me, but a requirement. My mobility is important to me, and I am doing all I can to keep it. Having had two knee surgeries in two years, I’ve gotten an unfortunate taste into what losing mobility feels like, so I was extra motivated both times to be super vigilant with my physical therapy, and to keep moving.
Practicing my balance a month or so after my last surgery
My knee will never be the same as it once was, but I suppose its future would be worse, had I not had the surgeries. And not that I needed to go under the knife to feel extra pain when working out - certainly, ageing has done that for me - but it makes my workouts more intense now.
Pushing through the pain during my workouts is the best metaphor for life I can think of. I’ve had my share of heartache over the last few months (that’s another post), and exercise is the one thing that makes me feel better, although not necessarily in the moment. But with therapy and the determination to keep pushing and just getting on with it, it’s incredibly cathartic.
Feelin’ the burn…
Expressing your creativity is not dissimilar. Translating what’s in your head and heart to the canvas, page, or whatever the output is, can be gut-wrenching, soul-crushing, and just plain hard, but once you move through the process and see the translation of your efforts, it’s more rewarding than you could ever imagine. Just getting to the other side of the process makes you a success, which is why it’s important to not be afraid of failing or doing the actual work so you can get to where you want to be.
Nothing happens overnight and whether it’s getting through a punishing barre class that makes you feel like you’ll never walk again, or trying your hand at painting or writing a book, pushing through the often painful process is the only way to test your mettle and come out better on the other side.
My two tv pilots, Collette’s Caleb and Peri Does Europe placed as semifinalists in ScreenCrafts 2025 TV Pilot contest
