A good kinda pain…

As I sit down to write this morning, I’m not feeling very good.  My back is in some pain.  In fact, I’m tight all across my back, my shoulders hurt, and my neck is stiff too.  I am in some pain this morning.  AND…

It’s a good kinda pain.

Friday it all started.  Friday night I coached Taylor’s basketball team of freshmen and sophomores at the “Y.”  I coached a little and then we scrimmaged a lot.  Taylor has to guard me.  He guards me like he’s the second coming of OSU’s Sullinger and I’m not.  He climbed over my back for every rebound and boxed me out of the gym.  We smiled as we headed out.

Saturday came and I finally got around to digging our driveway out.  The snow had come when I was in KC/STL and had been packed down like ice.  90 good minutes later, the drive was clear.  I smiled as I looked down the drive and saw black again.

Later that morning, Taylor and his buddies awoke from their extended snooze.  I challenged them to another workout and they were eager to play.  Pull ups, push ups, planks, roll outs, and some stairmaster sprints comprised our little fun.  Whoever finished last had to run outside without their shirt.  They loved it and laughed.  I never had to run until Taylor challenged me to bet against him.  I told him I would run if he could do 20 pull ups.  He had never done more than 16 but I should have known better.  He knocked out 20 in the time it took me to take off my shirt.  Around the house I sprinted.  I smiled as I caught their collective gaze catch mine.

Sunday evening Taylor returned from 5 hours of snow boarding with his friends.  This time he came home with only his Mom.  Magic.

The three of us sat together and heard his recount of his adventure over a great bison steak, potatoes, and the best fresh green bean stir fry mixed with garlic, onion, and awesome shrooms.  He talked and talked.  Miss and I learned a new language as we heard about the jumps, the rails, the conveyer belt, and the various trails he had traversed.  His excitement was energizing.  I smiled as I thought about my son discovering another “love to.”

As Sunday night came to a close we wound up on the couch together and before I could say “uncle” he had me in some form of wrestling move.  Alright, Miss would likely say that I instigated this whole thing.  I beg to differ.  We wrestled for what felt like 15 minutes but was probably more like 3.  Miss thought the couch was going to tip and, I want to think, thought that she better step in before somebody gets hurt.  I’m certain she was afraid that my strength might overwhelm her son.  She couldn’t have been worried…

Tay and I said goodnight in his frozen, upstairs bedroom.  His Mom had put it back together after the crazy commotion of the sleep over and it was neat and nice and looked like the perfect place to rest.  I’m certain he smiled in the dark as we parted ways for the final time this weekend.  I smiled inside and out.  I just did.

I work my CORE both literally and figuratively for weekends just like this ONE. My overarching vision for my family, friends, and clients is to grow old but not tired with those that participate in and around my OPUS. I want to play with Taylor at 51 and with his children at say, 71.  I want to run around the house with my shirt off in the snow and smile.  I want to wake up with pain in my back that is caused by pushing it out of it’s comfort zone.  I want to have pain that is caused from “doing” exactly what I want with those that I LOVE. I want to store more memories like this past weekend in my very essence.  I just do.

Remember, pain is inevitable.  Misery is a choice.

Choose this kinda pain.  You just might come to find that it is..

A good kinda pain.