Good guilt

Guilt is something that can really bring someone down.  Guilt has the potential to limit us from becoming all that we're intended to become.  However guilt can also become an asset.  Guilt when we do something wrong is a positive - it's when you don't feel guilt for doing the wrong thing that you are in trouble.  So there can be both good and bad guilt.

After a long Sunday, I was exhausted at the end of the day.  Sometimes after a long, stressful day I just like to sit back and maybe play some stupid game on my phone (which right now is Real Racing 3, since I got tired of Candy Crush Saga - but that's a different story).  Sunday night I got so hooked into advancing my cares in RR3 that I ended up staying up much later than I should have, so when Monday morning rolled around at that alarm clock went off - and I didn't have to get up to take a child to school first - well, not only did I hit snooze but I also completely changed the alarm time for an hour later.  I was able to go back to sleep, but I promise you that from the moment I got up I felt guilty - guilty that I had not gotten up and gone to the gym.  I kept thinking about it all morning, and so at lunch I let my family know that I was coming home at 3:00 and I was going to the Y if they wanted to join me.  Sure enough, that guilt drove me to get done what I needed to get done, and I was able to get into the pool for a bit of a workout.

As my family went to play racketball (with one son asking, "Dad, aren't you going to play with us?"  Maybe he thinks my foot is doing better than I think it is!), I went and got in the water.  I quickly learned my lesson as to why I would rather be in the water at 7:00 AM than after 3:00 PM - there were children everywhere.  Not that I don't love kids, but you may have read that my time in the pool is supposed to be my "ME" time.  I was aiming for 45 minutes, and I really was feeling the burn as I worked hard 5 minute intervals.  Just after 40 minutes in the water, the lifeguards blew the whistle making everyone get out - even though it is an indoor pool, when there is a thunderstorm everyone has to be out of the pool and off the pool deck.  Better safe than sorry.  This morning I was able to go in and use the elliptical and do some circuit training.  Tomorrow will be back in the pool.

The next 2.5 weeks will be an interesting time for me.  I leave tomorrow morning (after my time in the water) to go to Annual Conference in Greenville - will have to do the best that I can with the hotel exercise room.  Sunday I leave to be at Louisburg College for the week for a conference youth event that I'll be a part of - not sure what will be available to me there.  The week after that I'll be on vacation with the family in Corolla out on the Outer Banks.  If I can maintain over this 2.5 weeks, then maybe I'll be a little closer to actually starting to hit the pavement - my goal to start running is July 15.  Maybe my guilt will keep me in check and help me be ready.