The Comeback Trail

The Comeback Trail is an interesting thing. Nobody really sets out to wind up on this trail. It’s not as if we wake up on New Year’s Day and happily proclaim, “This year I will get on the Comeback Trail!” We wind up on this trail due to circumstances in our lives (often unforeseen) that knock us off the path upon which we were traveling previously. To be eligible for the Comeback Trail, we had to have either stagnated or downright regressed from where we were. If we ever want to get to where we want or even need to be, we find ourselves on this trail.

The Comeback Trail can also be a frustrating thing. It takes a great degree of effort, focus, and motivation to merely get back to where we were. It can be very disheartening to realize that we have expended time and effort only to get back to where we were. However, for the sake of our own sanity, we cannot look at it in that manner. We cannot compare our current location to where we once were. For one reason or another, whether it was in or out of our control, we are there no longer. All we can do is work to get to where we want to be. Even if we are not as close to that point as we once were, we must not lose focus and we must not lose heart. It is imperative that we keep sight of where we want to be and press on.

I currently find myself on this Comeback Trail due to circumstances that were entirely unforeseen. July 2014 will go down as one of the most challenging months of my life to this point in a number of ways. I’ve already blogged about my trip to the Carolinas and cancellation of my trip to Pittsburgh, so I will spare you a repeat of my broken heart ballad. What I will say is that trip set my heart and spirit in a direction I had not planned on taking.

Unfortunately, my body took that trip as well. While I had the time of my life at Warped Tour, the place is a cesspool for germs and illnesses, especially if you try to see bands as close to the stage as possible. Last Monday, I began to notice a deep chest cough, and by the time I went to bed that night I was experiencing chills. Over the course of the next few days, a number of other symptoms came, and while some left, others lingered. It took the occurrence of pinkeye to get me to finally bite the bullet and see a doctor. Upon my visit I discovered that in addition to the pinkeye, I was also afflicted with strep and “a touch of a lung infection”. I was put on an antibiotic and set out for the Comeback Trail.

As someone who prides themselves on the fact that I only *maybe* miss going to the gym once a month, this inactivity, while necessary, has been frustrating. I don’t know when I’ll be back to the gym, and I definitely don’t know when my body will be capable of performing at the level that it was before the sickness. My strength and my cardiovascular endurance were better than they ever have been, and it’s frustrating to have to climb that ladder again. Likewise, it’s frustrating to have to get my heart back on track (especially as I struggle to comprehend why this all went sour). But I can’t get to where I want to be unless I get back to where I was. Sure, this lengthens the process of getting to where I want to be, but it’s worthwhile. I’m on the Comeback Trail, and by the time I’m off it, I have a good feeling that I’ll wind up even better than ever. Time to get to work!