Muhammad Ali once said, \u201cI hated every minute of training, but I said, \u2018Don\u2019t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been spending a lot of time thinking about quotes like that. Thinking about how great champions \u2014 heroes of the sports world! \u2014 pushed themselves to the limits \u2026 overcame obstacles \u2026 undertook grueling training to climb high atop pedestals of glory.<\/p>\n
I am on a similar quest. A similar training program that I hope will bring me greatness. It will push my body to the limits. Finely tune me so I\u2019m ready for anything. No, not just anything. Just one thing \u2014 my single-minded focus \u2014 my Mt. Everest \u2014 my championship \u2014 MY glory!!!!
\n
\nTo conquer Orlando in the heat of the summer. (Cue triumphant hero music.)<\/p>\n
Many have tried and crumbled. Their hearts broken. Their bodies failing them. Their will to succeed destroyed. Mostly they were betrayed by their minds \u2014 their confidence torn to shreds. Or their wallets. Or their inability to sit in stop-and-go traffic without moving an inch \u2014 NOT A SINGLE INCH! The weakest of them burst into blue flames of frustration. Unable to return to the place of their humiliation, they\u2019ve booked tickets to Dollywood this summer.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve come close to failure in O-town. I\u2019ve almost been defeated by the scorching heat that tries to press you like an iron. The dehydration caused by a refusal to purchase any more $4.50 bottles of water. I nearly buckled while a child sat atop my shoulders during the nighttime Main Street Electrical Parade. Sweat spilled down my sides and my knees wobbled.<\/p>\n
So this year I\u2019m training. Pushing myself to the limits so I am prepared for anything. I\u2019ve gone days without a sip of water. Eaten bugs for protein (you never know when you might need to save money in Orlando.) Worn snow suits to do yard work, all to simulate the heat I will face.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve tied ropes around my arms and dangled from swing sets. It will ready my joints for being violently jerked in one direction and then suddenly in another. I\u2019ve learned how to get my wallet out of a sweaty pair of shorts using only my pinky. I\u2019ve thrown 50-gallon drums in the backyard to give me strength for all the tossing \u2014 the endless tossing! \u2014 of my daughter in the pool. And I have navigated an entire city with my eyes closed, just in case I ever go blind from the sun and need to navigate out of a gift shop.<\/p>\n
Nothing is getting left out. I\u2019m covering all scenarios. Like how to avoid this frequent back and forth:<\/p>\n
Dad: OK, now listen carefully. You can have only one. Got it? Am I clear? One. That\u2019s it. Now, how many do you want?<\/p>\n
Daughter: Can I have five?<\/p>\n
Dad: Maybe you misheard me. I\u2019ll give you the benefit of the doubt. I said \u201cone.\u201d Solamente uno. Now, how many?<\/p>\n
Daughter: 14!<\/p>\n
Dad: No! Ha-ha \u2026 listen! I\u2019m serious. Remember my hypertension. How … many?<\/p>\n
Daughter: 40!<\/p>\n
Dad: (Unrepeatable). FINE! Have 40 scoops of ice cream! I don\u2019t care …<\/p>\n
This year a flip of an eyebrow and some neatly placed inflection will get the exchange I am looking for:<\/p>\n
Daughter: Tell you what, my dear sweet pa-pa. What do you say we skip the ice cream and put the money you worked so hard for toward my college savings. Or even a Porsche. Either way, I\u2019m quite satisfied. Now, if you will excuse me, I\u2019m going over there to pray for world peace.<\/p>\n
It hasn\u2019t been easy. The training has nearly broken me. I hallucinate constantly. I\u2019ve lost 22 pounds. I have callouses all over my hands and feet. Most of my hair has fallen out. I\u2019ve lost all sense of taste and smell. I seem to be growing a third nipple.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s worth it. And most importantly, it will make me ready. Ready for anything Orlando throws my way. Ready to overcome all adversity. Ready to become a champion \u2014 to live the rest of my life in the glory that is my destiny.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Muhammad Ali once said, \u201cI hated every minute of training, but I said, \u2018Don\u2019t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.\u2019\u201d I\u2019ve been spending a lot of time thinking about quotes like that. Thinking about how great champions \u2014 heroes of the sports world! \u2014 pushed themselves to the limits \u2026 overcame obstacles \u2026 undertook grueling training to climb high atop pedestals of glory. I am on a similar quest. A similar training program that I hope will bring me greatness. It will push my body to the limits. Finely tune me so I\u2019m ready for anything. No, not just anything. Just one thing \u2014 my single-minded focus \u2014 my Mt. Everest \u2014 my championship \u2014 MY glory!!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[317,8],"tags":[31,102,230,397,226,101,398,338,232],"class_list":["post-859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2012-nutshells","category-parenthoodandchildren","tag-disney","tag-heat","tag-magic-kingdom","tag-muhammad-ali","tag-orlando","tag-summer","tag-summer-vacation","tag-training","tag-vacation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=859"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":861,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859\/revisions\/861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nutshellcity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}