If you live in Green Bay Wisconsin, early morning single digit temperatures during the winter months are just part of another day.  But we live in Granbury, Texas.  We are not accustomed to the arctic chill.  We are really just a bunch of  sissies, when it comes to cold weather.  Well…maybe I should speak for myself.  A friend posted the following status update very early this morning on facebook: Single digit temp… wind gusts at 30… morning run doesn’t sound like it will be fun.  I vacillated for a few moments in regard to what I felt should be the proper response to such a compelling status update.

My immediate reaction:  Are you crazy?  Have lost your mind?  Has no one told you that we are supposed to be a bunch of cold weather sisssys, who band together at such a time as this?  And then I started feeling concern for his mental state. He must not be thinking straight.  A screw is loose in his head.   Despite my reservations about his mental well being my thought processes actually took a fairly dramatic turn.

I seriously doubt that many avid runners will make it out early this morning.  And that is not a problem.  But I admire someone who is so committed to the task at hand that they are going out no matter what. That mentality stands in stark contrast to the prevailing attitude in our culture.  

We are living in a non-committal society.  Lack of commitment is characteristic of all important relationships in the world we live in today.  When the sailing gets rough, it is all too easy to jump ship.  Marriages end.
Contracts are broken.  Friendships are thrown away.  Parental duties are traded in for freedom and fun.

It occurred to me recently that meaningful change in our lives will not take place until we are committed to changing our behavior no matter what…  I find that I am committed to eating more healthy until someone offers me some of Aunt Gertrude’s homemade pecan pie.  I am resolved to watch my tongue more carefully until some grand opportunity arises to say something that is clever and biting… I am committed to studying my Spanish diligently until something more fun comes along.

Sticking with important relationships is not always fun.  It can be downright unpleasant and hurtful.  In the short term, the grass sure looks greener elsewhere.  Remaining resolute about commitments to lifestyle changes like eating well and exercising regularly can often be anything but fun.  It occurs to me this morning that life itself must be carried out in single digit temperatures, if you live in Green Bay or Granbury.   The morning run may not be fun, but it will be worth it in the long run.