One of the many reasons I love Marilyn.
I was talking to her a couple months ago while we were on a walk and I asked her how she was doing. She said, “Well, what do you mean?”. She wasn’t sure what I was asking because we’d been chatting for a while, discussing what we’ve been up to.
So I asked the more pointed question, “How have you been doing emotionally? Have you been getting depressed? I know how much you like to travel. You must be missing your family. I know how much you enjoy coming to the gym and seeing everyone. I know how much you like going to the movies and film festivals. Everything’s canceled. I’m just wondering if you’re getting depressed, not being able to do the things you enjoy doing so much.”
And I’ll never forget her response.
She said, “Well, why would I do that? How is THAT going to help anyone?”
She went on to say, “Of course I miss those things, but I’m doing what I can every day. I get up, I walk, I do my strength training. You brought the gym to me, so I don’t have anything to worry about there. I’ve been putting puzzles together and I’ve found some great stuff to watch on Netflix. Have you seen ‘Alone’?”
And that was that. She talked about the great new show she was watching and how inspiring the people on the show were. And we didn’t talk about sadness or depression or missing out on things.
I laughed and was in awe of my 81 year old friend.
I saw her today to test her Deadlift, Bench Press, and Squat. She’s been training in her garage alone since April, following her programs and I thought we should test. She had a respectable DL, and a PR in Bench and Squat.
Covid happened. Gyms closed. People overate, over drank, stopped training, gained weight, lost motivation… and Marilyn didn’t miss a beat. She is as strong as ever. She’s as resilient as anyone I’ve ever met. And she’s not letting anything get her down.
Since that walk with her months ago, I’ve been asking myself, “Why would I do that?” & “How is it going to help?”
Once again, thanks for the lesson, @mkatzmark.
#belikemarilyn #wisdom #strongforlife #pacstrength #sanclemente
