The Boxing Gloves

So here starts my story of why it only took me a couple BLAST Boxing classes before I bought boxing gloves.

You have to understand — I’ve had a Planet Fitness membership for YEARS and I’ve barely used it. I told myself I had to run at least a little bit before using the massage chair or hydro massage. This is also coming from a girl who has ran 2 half marathons, a 10k, and many 5ks, also while running in my spare time in past years.

In high school, I was a 3 sport athlete for 4 years and show choir for a couple (if that counts). Soccer, tennis, and indoor track were my life and I was almost never home until dinner time. Then my junior year, I was playing in a soccer game and in a split second, a wrong pivot, and a loud noise that came from MY knee. There I was on the ground and I couldn’t stand up. Real bummer. Literally the last game before sectionals and I was getting carried off the field thinking my athletic life was over. Lo and behold, with a few screws and stitches, and a scar for life, I was on my way home with a reconstructed ACL that was previously blown out before anesthesia and a repair on the meniscus. Through physical therapy(that sucked) and the months getting the mobility back in my leg, I was ready to go just in time for tennis season with a strong knee ready to pivot away again. So to wrap that up quickly, I got to finish my senior year playing every sport and show choir.

However, starting college led to many years of not doing anything, not eating well, weight gain, back injuries, and ibuprofen slowly becoming my best friend.

During college and a few years after, I had a pretty strong core group of friends. We were going to movies, Putt-Putt, go-karting, bowling, weekend getaways, and more. We even got into training as friends and competed a Tough Mudder together. But as we get older, we get new opportunities and some people move away. Almost my entire core group that I had for YEARS chose the move away part. So what happened? I invested all of my time in those friendships and then coming back to reality, I felt like at my age, everyone was established and married and I had no chance in the end for real friendships anymore. (depressing right?) I became a freaking depressed hermit.

Fast forward a bit->>>

I finally graduated college, I was offered a new job, I have started to get this new circle of friends, I’ve had this new willingness to start new things, and a new focus on being intentional. I made an intention to get out into a community. I’ve started going to a new church. I joined an MMA gym. I’ve lost weight, I’ve started eating super healthy, and I haven’t had any back or hip issues in months. And through the toughest season of my life, I’m finding friendship and community again, just because I decided to step out and I bought the boxing gloves.

I will continue to share this journey — it’s literally one of the hardest, but one of the happiest seasons I’ve walked through. Weird right? I will unfold more as the time comes. Until then…

Reach for the stars my friends,

Margo.