At the gym, Debbie, an Iron Maiden competitor in her spare time, drives us hard. 50 reps of each move on one side before we switch; singles, holds, pulses and singles again. Standing in the front row, I watch the others in the mirror. Without groans or facial grimaces, they comply. At the water break I go to lighten my weights, and say, “Next time I’m going to use only one riser.”
“Go do it now,” Debbie answers, “Anyone who wants to lighten their weights or drop a riser, go do it now.” I’m amazed at how many switch. Why?
Did my example influence the others? Were they complying with requests above their ability because they thought it was expected of them, did the instructor's permission to lighten their weights carry the weight, not me at all? Or did my example lower their own expectations of themselves? Lighter weights are easier to manage after all.We all have to be aware of the reasons for our behavior. Are we following some leader blindly, regardless of our own best interest in order to please someone either in charge or in power?
The nurses at Walgreen's arrived at the assisted living community yeaterday to give everyone flu shots. I had signed permission for my husband to receive his flu shot from them two weeks ago.Bob however, was not going to follow along. He refused. When I arrived later in the day, he told me,"Real doctors came and tried to poke me with a needle but I said no, 'my wife and I do these things together.'"
Good for him. The little spark of Bob that remains is vital to nourish. I will take him to our regular physician's office one last time, for a flu shot. I also asked him of he would like to visit our dentist for "our" regular checkups, to which he agreed--today at least.
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