Mixed Tape Monday: Inspiration and workouts with the dog

When I was 15 the movie “Dead Poet’s Society” turned me on my head. I watched it until I wore out the VHS tape (not kidding about mixed tape part of Monday here), memorized the words to the Alfred Lord Tennyson poem from the movie, and in the spirit of carpe diem, ate with my left hand instead of my right and walked backwards down the halls of my high school. 

I was inspired. Because life = possibilities. And poems and creativity and...

Almost a decade later, immersed in job number four as a newspaper reporter, I watched the movie “The Rookie,” about the true life story of science teacher turned professional baseball player Jim Morris, and was inspired to write a column for the paper, about following your dreams.

Because life = following your dreams.

A coworker who was much older than me read the column and sighed in a knowing way, suggesting that such idealism and optimism was the stuff of youth. 

Now, twenty jobs (yes, I said 20), and over a decade later, I’m harkening back to my earlier moments of inspiration. Because off and on for the past 13 years:

Life = dying a slow, painful death behind a desk.

My work life at times has felt worse than that, and sometimes better. Better when I was coaching and working with college students; worse when I was working for the weekend, living for vacation, trying to figure out how and when and if to shut email off on the smart phone. Constantly wondering, if I was lucky enough to live a full life, whether I would get to the end of my professional career, receive an 8x10 plaque and a 401k and think to myself, is that all there is?

Plenty of people do very meaningful work behind a desk. Plenty of people are making a difference and going home with a sense of satisfaction with the work they are doing. For my entire professional life, I have admired those folks, but I have never been one of those folks.  

So what’s this all about?  

I’m quitting my job and taking a strength and conditioning internship at Cressey Sports Performance in Hudson, Mass.

Because life = following your dreams. and because I refuse to believe that inspiration belongs only to the 25 and under club.

And since this is actually mixed tape Monday, which implies that there will be more than one subject, this is what happens when you try to get some bodyweight workouts in at home...