Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! and Monday Moment #8

Although it's Monday and time for Moment #8, I feel compelled to start today's post by shouting out...

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

It's a big day. Even Google is recognizing it!

That's the image on the main Google page today. Love it!

And in many libraries and schools across the country, children are celebrating. Some I know are spending the day in jammies with pillows, blankets, and Dr. Seuss. Sounds like a perfect day to me.

But onto Monday Moment #8!

I have to start with, Wow! What a weekend.

I had an amazing and challenging Saturday. And even though I have some thoughts about other Monday Moment topics, it seemed appropriate to try and relate today's to my experience over weekend since it was all about challenge. (And because I'm proud of myself and I want to share.) And isn't challenge exactly what we have to present in our storytelling?

I drove down to the Hillsboro, OR with a group of instructors from my gym on Friday night to participate in my first Les Mills Quarterly. It was a day spent with U.S. National Trainers as they role-modeled all the new quarterly releases--that's a total of EIGHT programs. And it was not just sitting and watching...it was doing. And there was an opportunity to DO seven of the eight programs. In other words, I worked out like a freak from 8:00 am until 7:00 pm. Talk about challenge!

How does this have anything to do with writing? Well, it did for me. You know the whole chase your character up a tree and throw rocks at them thing? I felt very much in that situation while at the Quarterly. And one of the hardest parts of the day was knowing that MY program, BODYPUMP, was the last of the day and the one I wanted do and do well the most! But as the day went on, I felt my body becoming more and more whooped by the minute. I mean, you can imagine the way in which national trainers push and what they demand of instructors taking their class.

The first four classes happened pre-lunch. And a particular one, BODYCOMBAT literally kicked me in the bahookey! After lunch it was time to JAM, STEP, and PUMP. Did I consider sitting one or even both of them out so I could go full out for PUMP. Absolutely. But, I ended up going for it. I had to. And not because anyone made me. The drive to rise to the challenge had to come from me.

It got me thinking about why? Why didn't I give myself a break? Just let myself skip one or two hard parts so that I could (hopefully) get through the final challenge?

As I finished up JAM, I felt like I had nothing left and my feet were screaming. I really wondered if I had enough to do it. But I wanted to. I wanted to be able to say I did all seven classes. Of course there was some peer pressure involved, as the other instructors I was with were going for it, as well. And there is a certain power and energy we get from our peers. Perhaps a bit of confidence in ourselves, that we might not be capable of producing on our own (in certain given moments). But in the end, as I loaded up full weight for BODYPUMP, even though my body had very little left to give, I fought through. Where did the fight come from? It wasn't the competitor in me. It wasn't from my peers. It certainly wasn't my own confidence (truly, at times I questioned whether I could trust my body to go there). It was all heart and determination because, honestly, that's was all I had left (makes me weepy just typing this). I wanted it. I went for it. And I achieved it. (Hmmm. Remind you of writing a novel?)

It felt pretty damn good.

Then I ATE! I ate a lot.

I challenge you to think about how challenging "things" really get for your main character. And, where their fight comes from?