I can't begin to count the number of times I have been told, training is the last thing you will think about on your death bed. There will come a time where the gym won't matter.
I have been wheeled to surgeries where there was a good probability that I wouldn't make it back out. In all cases, I did think about my kids (will they grow up ok? who will they become? and was I satisfied in how I was and grew as a parent). I did think about my wife, was everything in order? Did I say everything I needed to say? Did I grow as a husband? I thought about my faith and I thought back on some of my best lifts, training and times in the gym. How could I NOT!
It's been a huge part of my life for close to 4 decades. There are many great times that I reflected on. Just as there are many great times I reflected on with my wife and kids. By no means am I saying I thought of this more than my family... BUT... it WAS there and I am damn proud of it.
It validates I didn't tear my body apart and bust my ass for nothing! It MATTERED to me then, now and will when I die. I'm happy I have something in my life, with my family, that I embrace with that much passion, time, and effort.
I have also been on the other side of the coin where I have had loved ones on life support, die slowly and die fast... without reason. HARD. HARD, HARD things to deal with. Training mattered then as well - as long as I was able to get to the gym (alone) and just "be there". It helped me to ground, breathe, center and be the person I needed to be for others. By no means am I saying 5 hours in the gym of heavy crazy shit. 10-15-20 minutes of just being somewhere so familiar, known, trusted and safe mattered.
I am not saying the gym is "therapy", far from it. I am also not saying its family, people don't stay. It certainly is not life, as life is far more complicated. The gym and training mean different things to different people. While I do feel it should never be your entire life, but for many it is much more than a place to train. It's something that can't be described other than saying it matters.
“It won’t matter”, is the biggest lie I’ve ever been told.
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