Just Train

When I was a child, there was a man who jogged every day. This man was not your average jogger. He was not a tall man; he was rather short and stocky. He was dark skinned, had dark hair, and was the only person I ever met who had an actual cauliflower ear. He was always dressed in silk boxing shorts. He wore a robe, naturally silk. He also wore boxing gloves and as he ran, he punched the air. I always thought he was a bit weird, even if he was nice. He ran every single day. It did not matter if it was sunny, rainy, cold, or hot, he was out there running. I guess running is the wrong word. He more shuffled then ran. If one could shuffle while on tiptoes, then that is what he was doing.


He had told me his name once, but being a child and thinking he was weird, I ignored him. As I grew, he grew old. Yet every day he was out there doing his tiptoe shuffle jog. Then came a time, I was probably teenager, that I did not see him. At the time, I did not know I do not see him. I do not miss him. That is until I saw him again. Then I realized he had been gone. He was very skinny, not the robust, stocky muscly, man I was used to seeing. He looked old. He looked old. He looked, somehow, sad. After seeing him for a couple weeks, I never saw him again.


I learned much later that he was a famous champion boxer. He had one many bouts in the ring. He was also responsible for teaching many other boxers, some of which had gone on to be champions themselves. All those times I saw him running, punching the air, seemingly weird to me, he was training. I learned he trained only thing he knew how to do. He trained.


I told you that story because I recently thought of him. At first I was feeling bad because I thought the man was weird, only to find out he was important in his circle. Then I thought of the lesson he taught me. That lesson is no matter what is going on, good times, bad times, you have to train. Gotta get out there, even if you have to do a tiptoe shuffle, you have to train. For me, I have to remember him. I have to train. I don’t box obviously. I’m not a world champion and I cannot teach you to be one. But I can write.


So I know it’s been a long time since I written in this blog, and there’s many reasons that happened. I could tell you I’ve been sick, I’m moving, and I didn’t want to write. While that is true it is just an excuse, been lazy, unmotivated. Perchance I was also feeling a bit lonely. As if I was talking to myself, there was no one out there listening, reading anything I wrote. I do not know why I feel like that. But I do. So my lesson, my repentance, perhaps my comeuppance, was remembering my childhood boxer. Someone I had not thought of in a long time yet had a huge lesson for me. No matter what is going on with me, and my life, have to write. I have to tiptoe shuffle jog. I have to train.