Embrace the Suck
Daily Meditation 780–4/17/2024
Our nature tells us to run from — sprint from! — any form of pain.
In ancient history, this served our ancestors very well.
It meant when you touched your foot to the scorching hot rock at the edge of the campfire, it’d smart, but you’d know from then on to be damned careful around it.
It meant that when you were out gathering fruit or berries at the edge of the forest and you heard a sudden crack! rend the silent, gloaming evening…you better kick up a fuss and begin making your way back to camp. Is it a bear? Mountain lion?
It meant that when skinning game, you were careful with your tools as to not cut yourself. A bad slash here or there would mean “the Gods” (infection) could cast death over you, making you ill or to bleed to death.
More recently, it meant avoiding getting your hand in the way of the machine, lest it be smashed to a mangled pulp, rendering you invalid to provide for your family.
Nowadays, we have different types of pain which we avoid. Perhaps not as deathly dire as our ancestors, but in the now they seem bad.
We avoid exercise “because it sucks.” It’s painful. Your muscles are sore for days (or weeks if you’re really new!). It dehydrates you. You have to put in all that time. It’ll be…
