It’s something every day. Maybe it’s a trail run, a few hours of rock climbing or a road bike ride. Maybe it’s a hike, or if there’s snow on the ground a ski. If the weather is bad enough yoga, a workout targeting opposing muscle groups or a visit to an indoor climbing wall will do.
It isn’t an addiction exactly. It’s more just motion, constant motion. An object in motion tends to stay in motion. When it stops, the game is over. The point, then, is to stay in motion, to never let the ball hit the floor.
Even rest days are filled with the same energy, move at the same speed. They are a deliberate absence of motion, an exercise vacuum, every bit as intentional as the workouts. They serve as the counterpoint, the exhalation that follows exertion.
The rest feels good, but the burn feels better. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the legs, the lungs, the forearms or the fingertips — the pain is the prize. So is the euphoria that follows as it subsides.
It isn’t an addiction, but it is destructive. With every step, every pedal stroke, doubts are set ablaze. The word CAN’T gets whittled to sawdust, replaced by footprints that scream “DID.” With every passing mile, every turn of the ski, every move skyward, the impossible melts away, wiped clean by the movement, and by those who find peace in it.
Every day is something. Inhale, exhale, and stay in motion. And leave a trail that echos.