“You have never lived until you’ve almost died. For those who have fought for it, life has a special flavor that the protected will never know.”
- Guy de Maupassant
This quote has a few meanings for me, and has become more meaningful in the last week because a couple people who have started reading The Comfort Crisis have sent it to me. For them, the meaning is a motivator to get them through their misogi, or a personal hard mission that requires maximum physical and mental effort, and may not even be doable. Hopefully it doesn’t result in death, but with a misogi you never really know. For those who have served in the military or in a first responder capacity, this may be a great reminder of their watchdog role in life that often brings them in harm’s way, and how important that is to their warrior culture.
As we get into Hero Month in May, this quote is also a great reminder of why we are doing these workouts. The Heroes that we are honoring lived their lives in this way – on the edge of life and death every day. They ended up on the wrong side of the equation – they pushed themselves to the brink of the ultimate sacrifice, and then paid it.
During Hero Month, let’s remember this. Let’s remember the man or woman that paid the price for our freedom and comfort, and then let’s get uncomfortable to honor them and their life that they no longer get to live on this Earth.
Ryan