Seeing through the noise

Sometimes when life is really, really busy and bogged down with minutia, it’s hard to see through the noise.  We get so wrapped up that we find ourselves wrapped up in our wrappings.  We don’t remember what our intentions were in the first place — and how to get to where we intended to go.

To place it terms of the ring, we get so hung up the business of boxing whether as an amateur, a pro or a Saturday boxer like myself, that we lose site of the work itself.  We forget the lovely feeling of pushing our bodies to the limit; of feeling the grace of the fundamentals; and importantly remembering that being in the gym is a lot of fun.

I guess reading about Rola El-Halabi has upset me a lot — I cannot begin to imagine the dynamic that led to the horrific actions of her stepfather, but it does put me in mind to be very thankful indeed for the opportunities that I have, that many of us have, to be able to practice our sweet science in relative freedom.

So next time you’re feeling tied up in knots, take a deep breath and whether your passion is writing, boxing, running, cooking or throwing clay on the wheel — have a go at it again, only this time nice and slow so that you can remember just how wonderful a feeling it is to practice the thing that you love.