The idea of potential energy' has been bouncing around in my head for the last week or so. Examples of potential energy are a skier at the top of a snowy hill, a sprinter nestled into the starting block or that moment just before the quarterback yells hike and sets his play into motion.
The disruption being caused by the Corvid-19 pandemic is leaving hundreds of races cancelled or postponed, with no certainty of when things will return to some sort of normalcy. Athletes of all shapes, sizes and fitness levels, in various stages of their training cycles are now looking at their apps or their spreadsheets and wondering, What now? They were determined and motivated, working toward a finite goal, only to have that once defined end point start to move away like the unreachable mechanical hare in a greyhound race.
It is a strange time right now. I suspect that this period, this pandemic will shape this generation's world view, much the way 9-11 shaped the world view for my generation. I have no idea the impact this will have societally, economically and politically, but I am seeing a glimpse of something hopeful in the small window of fitness people are exercising. I see more people out in my neighborhood walking, running, riding bikes, than ever before. With little other option for entertainment, it would appear people are finding and appreciating being in nature, being outside in this time of sequester. In a time of anxiety, uncertainty and fear, what better gift than to find something that acts as a natural stress reliever and a place to put that anxiety to the side for a few minutes or hours. During this period of forced recess from the hustle and bustle of daily life, I hope that I come to recognize that the time and space to reconnect to nature through exercise can be seen as a gift, not just as an inconvenience. My hope is that I am able to use this potential energy', pent up inside me right now to move forward and maybe come out of this stronger than I ever imagined I could be. In fact, that is my hope for all of us.