Capturing Moments of Gratitude

Hey Friends,

I’ve spent the last ten plus years inundated with fitness. It’s been a passion. A point of service. And I’ve been grateful at the opportunity to not only serve amazing people, but experience a lifestyle unique to me. One that I am proud of. But also, one that I question every single day.

Fitness to me is a piece of life. I’ve always been the type of person who gets wholly obsessed. Whether it’s with a video game, a sport, a skill, fitness, school or whatever else I decide to get involved in, my life begins to revolve around that one thing. Which is pretty cool, but it can also get overwhelming.

In this world, I constantly look forward. Metaphorically and literally. I’m constantly in this battle of where to take my health. Where do I want to go tomorrow? What do I want to try next? Who do I want to work with? What type of body do I want? What activities do I want to dive into? And most of all what can I do today to make a more clear path toward my desired outcome, tomorrow?

On top of that, I have to balance my life around being of service to others…How can I be of service to others? How can I find the right people to work with? And there’s also that voice of insecurity that I do my best to move past…why would this person think I can help them? What can I do for them, when my own life is a mess? Etc, etc, etc.

I constantly live in this world, where I am not allowed to sit back and just feel…satisfied. It’s a debilitating emotional experience where I haven’t been able to sit back, relax and say – my life is pretty fucking rad.

And to me, life is an experience I am addicted to – and that piece sometimes forgets to appreciate and celebrate my own health.

And that’s what brings me here.

Over the New Year, I decided to take an adventure to the Grand Canyon. It was a 9 hour drive, followed by a stay at the local KOA, 45 minutes from the South Rim at the Grand Canyon.

There is a piece of me that still doesn’t believe the Grand Canyon itself was real. The backdrop was too perfect. Far too amazing and unbelievable. And I’ll only believe it was real once I actually set foot next to the Colorado River later this year.

People from all walks of life coming together to experience and celebrate something nature carved out through time and consistency.

It was a surreal backdrop enjoyed from the trailhead and a few miles into the canyon, where I hiked.

It was an introduction to a world I never thought possible. It’s one thing to see the Canyon in a picture, it’s another to experience it.

On the trail, at any given moment, you are feet from death. The anxiety of taking a bad step crippled me at first. But it became more comfortable with time. The comfort and anticipation grew. And with each step, a renewed sense of confidence and appreciation for the world we share – in a year comprised of Zoom meetings, home exercise and anxiety – we have spent this time together, each in our own little worlds.

The experience in the Canyon itself was not comparable to anything I have ever felt. And not just because it was a beautiful sculpture, carved out over thousands and millions and billions of years.

But as the hike into and out of the canyon progressed, I felt grateful.

I can pinpoint the exact moment. I passed a few hikers with a head nod and a hello. Beyond a group of dudes who were hooting and hollering about how dope my Jesus sweatshirt was. And just beyond the point in the canyon where snow began to accumulate.

There was a moment while hiking up the canyon that made me feel like it was all worth it.

The last ten years of my life – Wrapped up in a singular moment, with my heart rate elevated and a friend at my side. The hours spent studying. The hours spent stressing over a client’s progress. The hours spent serving my people. And the hours spent working on my own health.

It was worth it.

Everything I set out to accomplish was worth it. And it was a sense of getting over the idea of focusing on ‘tomorrow’ and what to strive for next. There was a singular moment of gratitude. My heart, my body, my spirit. All of it. In that moment, it all made sense.

And I can’t stress enough how much clarity it gave me.

In this world, we constantly strive for a better body, for better health. We are constantly telling ourselves to dive into something new. Or get ready for the next step. We see perfect bodies on various forms of social media reminding us how imperfect we are.

And sometimes, it’s great to just stop and assess yourself. To thank yourself for the world you live in. For the feelings and sensations you have on a daily basis.

These thoughts and emotions you display are unique to you. And they are an accumulation of your years of experience.

I’m not sure what I am setting out to say in this post, other than to encourage you to seek out moments.

Moments to celebrate your own health. It took me three hours into the Grand Canyon to find mine.

It may take you years to find yours. Or days. Or a couple minutes into a blog post.

I want to encourage you to appreciate your health.

And DO what you can to celebrate it.

Don’t worry about getting leaner, or thinner, or stress over your next step.

But think about what you CAN do. And how you FEEL when you do it. Use fitness to celebrate your health. Your body, your mind, your spirituality. It is yours and nobody else’s. And it is as beautiful or as ugly as you make it out to be.

A New Year and resolutions can so easily get you thinking about improving your health, but it can also negatively impact the way you see yourself. We’re all coming off a hell of a year. And we all went through it together, despite being socially distanced. I want you to know that I appreciate you for following along in this journey and I hope you are able to see the beauty in our world. And I hope you can set out capture a few beautiful moments in yourself.

Peace like Geese,

Mike Goose