As soon as I opened the door I knew I was in trouble.

It’s Saturday morning and I’m heading out for a run. I’m out much earlier than usual in hopes of beating the July heat. But the heat had other plans and was already outside waiting for me.

I hate running in the heat, and on this day I felt empowered to remind myself that I did.

Adversity allows us to choose how we respond to it. Sometimes I respond by complaining about it, and sometimes that feels real good. I’ve come to notice, though, that complaining awakens a great deal of negativity within me. Acknowledging my hatred of running in the heat created my own inner heat, further compounding the adversity I already found myself facing. Not the best way to start a long run.

Not the best way to start most anything.

What if I chose not to hate?

Words matter greatly, and a word like “hate” is inherently hostile, often a disproportionate response in almost any situation. If I felt a need to address the adversity awaiting me on the other side of the door, could I have reframed my response in a less hostile light?

Running in cooler weather is something I like much better. It’s a preference. As is not running in highly humid conditions. Also, a preference. Reframing this “adversity” as a preference greatly defused the hostility my hatred brought to the moment. Yes, it was still hot and humid, and, yes, I prefer to run in cooler conditions. The situation was acknowledged, my preferences were stated, and with that I went off and started my run.

Hate is heavy. You can feel it. Preferences are light, aspirational. Two polar opposite energies. One keeps you stuck, one keeps you moving forward.

Hate can become an automatic habitual response to the things in life we wish weren’t there. 

But they are there. 

How we choose to respond to them is up to us.

Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash

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