Walk the line

Chris Holt - 11/02/2011

"Keep moving forward." One of my favorite Walt Disney quotes. So simple yet so profound. When I was finishing 9th grade, I had my first lung collapse. It was during a pick up game of basketball. It was students versus faculty. In small private schools this is very common. Anyhow, I was in the midst of jumping for a rebound when I was struck in the chest with an elbow by one of the teachers. To this day I couldn't remember what this teacher's name was but I can remember his face. Funny how that happens. I had the wind knocked out of me but other than that I felt fine. That night I was walking up to my room when I collapsed on the stairwell. Not only could I not breathe but the pain was dizzying. The frightening part was that I couldn't even yell for help. It's like one of those dreams where you're trying to yell but can't. Fortunately I grew up in a large family so you were always running into someone in the house. One of my brothers found me and before I knew it I was rushed to the hospital. From that moment on I fell into a deep depression. I was in and out of hospitals for years but the worst part in my head was that I wasn't able to play basketball. What was the point of living if I couldn't play sports? That was the only thought I had for a very long time.

My varsity basketball coach pulled me into his office one afternoon. He had played football most of his life and began to tell me about the game where he ruptured his spleen. He was out for a while and it was crushing to his self esteem and mental wellness. He became negative and angry because it was stopping him from doing what he loved. He said to me, "My coach sat me down and gave me this piece of advice that I'm about to impart onto you. He told me that I wouldn't quite understand it now but I would later on and I'm going to say the same thing to you. Over time you'll understand it." He said, "Picture yourself straddling a line. Your left foot is in the past and your right foot is in the future and you're pissing on the present." I was a little taken back with the visual and literally had no idea what he meant. But that's all he said. Didn't explain it. Just told me to remember it. For years I tried to fully understand what he was trying to say. Walt Disney hits upon that note. I spent so much mental energy worrying about what had happened and so fearful of another lung collapse or setback but both those things are completely out of my control. I was missing out on the now. Focusing on what you have control over better ensures where you want to ultimately go. We must all keep moving forward. Learn from the past but don't worry too much about the future. It's this concept that spawned cliches like, "Live life to fullest" or "Do one thing everyday that scares you". We are all trying to reach a self-actualized state.

So whether it's within your professional, personal, or physical realm, we must all continually strive to better ourselves. Experience is imperative. Take what's useful and discard the rest. Purge your life of the mess. We all have mental baggage or physical clutter. Even if it means clearing out that closet you've been meaning to or pushing for the PR on that movement or workout you dread, do it. You'll be a happier person because of it.

So the question is, "Are you moving forward?"