The People in the Arena

When I first started writing, I decided to call my blog The Woman in the Arena because I loved how Brene Brown, with some inspiration from Teddy Roosevelt, described an arena as this space that is created when we decide to challenge ourselves in a new way. But, here’s the thing. We are never alone when we decide to take on a new challenge, even in a sport like powerlifting that on the surface appears to involve the one person on the bench, in the squat rack, or in front of the deadlift bar. Recently, the way that my program is designed just has me feeling incredibly grateful for the people in my arena. 

 Last Friday, my bench workout for the night included three singles down to a board–one rep, three times. In this circumstance, as in most, that one rep requires at least four people in my corner: someone to help me rack the weight, someone to spot me, someone to hold the board, and at least one person yelling (read: encouraging) at me. It might take me just a few seconds to move the weight, but none of that happens without other people taking the time to help me. This reminder is especially important on the nights when I’m feeling tired, impatient, or uninvested. When I look around the gym, people are not only there for themselves, but for me. We are all in the same arena doing everything we can to lift each other up as we attack our individual goals. Regardless of the arena, show up for your people and let them show up for you.

One last note, for me one of the most frustrating parts of living with Cerebral Palsy is asking for help with things I see able-bodied people doing almost effortlessly. When I am surrounded by strong people in the gym, carrying their own weights back and forth, I have moments of refusing to allow people to show up for me, because I can show up for my own damn self. The result of doing this last Sunday involved unracking a weight and attempting to carry it across the gym... shortly after which I tripped, tossed the weight, and plopped on the ground. Lesson learned, for now.