Hard Work and a Smile

I have this theory. I think that anything is possible with hard work and a smile. It's a kind of pie in the sky ideal for me. Work Hard, enjoy the process, what bad can come of that?

The task is simple, just work, then smile. Or work...and smile. Simultaneous work/smile combinations tend to make those around you think that you are superhuman.

But really, sometimes it doesn't quite work out like that. Sometimes I find myself gritting my teeth, gutting through, letting my mind wander to my happy land. When I look back I always say "Sonja, why were you making that harder than it needed to be, where was the smile, where was the joy"?

And sometimes it's all smiles, all joy, but not a whole lot of hard work. It goes that way at times.

But the goal is always hard work and a smile.

Last night in a discussion back and forth with CV we solved a little HR puzzle. CV's eyes were opened to how high of a heart rate I can hold for a long time. He hasn't seen it before (and he's seen a lot). He said this (I hope he doesn't mind that I posted this, if he does I'm sure I will hear about it):

I've honestly never seen a 168avgHR for 5.5 hours on foot. That shows how tough you really are In a word, tough!

That word just sat there...like Annie taking a Sharpie to the coffee table.

Tough.

Tough.

Me, tough? yea, I guess so. But maybe I never noticed because I was too busy having fun. I think that tough is what happens along the way when you are chasing the fun.

It made me wonder if all my "Ra-Ra"ing that I do to support others is somehow jaded because I'm tough, and maybe others aren't as tough.

"Well, she can do that stuff because she's tough".

And I am tough, I know that, but I just never wanted it to matter because I want to think that others can do what I do, even if they aren't as tough.

I really like to think that it's my joy and love for what I'm doing that enables me to persevere through pain and miles. But what if the love and the joy is just a side effect? What if I do this stuff because I'm just a tough MFer?

I don't know a lot but this I do know. There is a crapload more in me. It's a little scary to type that, and it could be because I'm afraid of what you out there will think. You must think I'm crazy enough already.

But in life we get no second round. No rewind button. We must find out our limits on this earth, before it's too late.

"The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is the difference between living fully and just existing."

Michael E. Gerber

PIC and I were talking yesterday and I said "I want to do Ultraman (10K swim, 261 mi bike, 52 mi run, over three days). She said "Well it's about time that you admitted that out loud".

There is more in me. My goals for this year are set and I think some of them are going to show me more about myself than I know. But, there is more in this tough girl. And to pry it out, it's going to take:

Hard Work and a Smile.

Cross Posted at Trakkers.com