Morning Edition - 4/6/07

Body Betrayal
Since I returned to the gym over a year ago my gym partners have come and gone. With a gym buddy I had a voice to say, “Hey, we’re doing too much,” or “We’re really pushing too hard.” In the last six months or so I’ve been working out completely alone and enjoying it. Unfortunately, I have an obsessive-compulsive personality and when it comes to being competitive and challenging myself, I will do it to a detriment. The problem is, my body is proving that in the battle of Cocoa vs. Cocoa, the only contender who can win, or conversely lose, is me. It was just over a month ago when I began stepping-up my workouts and pushing my body to limits I hadn’t really attempted before. By last week, I was running 3.5 miles in 25 minutes and alternating between upper and lower body muscle toning, to a break-body pace of six days per week. Well, Saturday my body finally gave way. I managed to pull a groin muscle. My first official sports injury. Unable to quit, I hit the treadmill and ran 2.5 miles on Monday and worked on legs. The resulting excruciating pain has left me looking like a paraplegic each time I rise from a sitting position. I feel betrayed by my body – especially when I’m only two months away from my summer in the Puerto Rico sun. So, I consulted a few sports gurus and my workplace nurse, who say I can exercise – after giving myself at least a week’s rest, but should not run for another two-to-three weeks. The skinny about groin injuries is that they can take up to a month to heal and even then it isn’t recommended that you go full throttle until you’re sure – lest you cause further injury. What is a mentally-obese and fanatically-obsessed-over-30-guy to do? I’ve taken the last two days off from the gym and already feel like I’m bloated and awkward. I’m hitting the gym and biking it tomorrow while trying to do some upper body toning to avoid the weight that is crushing my mind. Body beautiful 2007 will happen; I’m just hoping I don’t have those two cute metal accessories to carry with me as I try to walk along the beach in the Caribbean.

Good Friday; For Who?
Today, the Christian faith celebrates Good Friday. The day Jesus Christ was crucified and died for the sins of humanity; thereby granting society a cleansing through his blood and a way to heaven. The thought is all good, but I’m sure as Jesus dragged that enormous cross, where I’m sure he knew he would be nailed and spat on, he didn’t consider it a good day. With all due respect, I reflect on the story of Jesus and think how many would give their own life in sacrifice for others. He was human at the time and of flesh and blood like the rest of us, so the fear had to cross his mind. Yet, as the story goes, he did give his life for EVERY person to have an opportunity at redemption. Regardless of your beliefs, celebrate the idea of selfless sacrifice, unmatched love and the truth that he did it for ALL.

Rapidly Fraying Rope
Remember those on your way up the ladder so they can remember you on your way down. This piece is dedicated to everyone who has shown their fellow man their ass unnecessarily, only to realize the man you scorned is the very person you need to get something done. This week a high-level executive at my corporate cesspool thought it wise to ask for a favor. His e-mail read, please be so kind as to “process this correctly,” since I am pressed for time on my deliverables. My response was simple, “This request, like all requests, will be processed correctly and I’ll pull some strings to get this expedited.” Within 20-minutes my contacts were able to complete a deliverable that would’ve taken several days to complete. This isn’t the end of the story. The moral of this story is that now this executive cannot ask me for another favor. Period. He has burned a bridge unnecessarily by insinuating that at some point I may have dropped the ball on a deliverable. Now, his little dig may or may not have been true, but in the end, the objective of his e-mail was to seek help, not to address a performance issue. So, since he and I don’t’ work on the same team and my help is strictly voluntary, he now finds his canoe in the middle of some pretty fast moving rapids. I have a rope, but guess who will never get it. As luck would have it, his project required him to again perform a miracle and ask for my help yesterday. He asked in a much more contrite tone, but my response was swift, “Presently, I’m swamped with several pressing assignments and can’t help you. Please follow the set protocol for these requests. The helpdesk may be able to assist you.” The message was not lost on him. He came over to my office and said, “Hey…I’m sorry about that e-mail earlier in the week. I know it may have come across wrong,” his flushed face was desperate and his eyes were pleading pitifully. My heart immediately smiled, but my face remained cold. “I’d love to talk, but as I mentioned in my e-mail, it’s really busy for me right now.” As he walked out in a quiet huff, I sat back in my chair and thought to myself….careful how you treat folks; right or wrong, you may need them later.

On Blast
If Jesus was human (albeit the son of God) and lived his life as a child, a young man and finally was killed in his early thirties, do you believe he was at any time sexually active or do you believe that he was completely chaste (sexless) throughout his life?

Keep passin’ the open windows…