Somewhere Else

This morning, as I went through my everyday routine of weights and practice, I noticed the feeling that I am all too familiar with. My muscles were sore, my body was fatigued, and my brain was exhausted from a late night of studying. I immediately thought, “Oh no, today is one of those days.” And pretty much every thought after that was a negative one: I wish I was anywhere but here. Why are we doing an extra set? Is practice almost over?

Not only athletes, but people in general endure these kinds of moments all the time. It’s human nature to think that the situation you are in is the worst possible scenario, and you would give anything to be somewhere else.  But what if that somewhere else was Kenya, where approximately 15,449,430.7 people fall into the category of rural poverty? Or what if that somewhere else was Ecuador, where nearly half of the children under 5 years of age are malnourished? There are millions of “somewhere elses” that suffer from famine, disease, abuse, homelessness, lack of sanitation, and so much more, yet I find myself complaining about a hard workout. I so often lose perspective of how blessed I am to be a student athlete, and how important it is that I reach out to all those that are less fortunate. Just think about all those “somewhere elses”, and all the people there in need…