OT - Wake-up Calls

[Future]

Many of us have had "wake-up calls" in our lives - situations that caused us to "wake up" from our normal patterns of living and thinking, and realize something new (like perhaps we should take more time to enjoy our lives, rather than constantly pursuing the next goal on our list, or we should spend more time with our children, or parents, etc. etc. etc.).

Oftentimes these wake up calls are in the form of a tragedy, such as the loss of a loved one or an injury or sickness.

What kinds of wake-up calls have you guys and gals had, and how did they change your life?

Alaina dying. Appreciating so much more. Focusing on joy in life. If a 10 month old can go...we all can. I dont want to leave this place not having been something more than what I have walked in this plane.

 

[JETHRO TULL]

Those "wake up call stories" are enough to make a grown man cry.

I've had so many at this point in my life that I am suprised that God doesn't just take me and be done with it.

I was small in high school and wrestled 119lbs as a freshman. 5'4 and at a brand new school. I got older started lifting and quickly responded to training. I was fullback and linebacker on the football team. Suddenly popular and "tough" I started drinking and paying back any f*cker who had looked at me wrong. I was one of those assholes who would fight at the drop of a hat and hit you at a party just to see if I could knock you down and that was just to get the fun started. I once hung a guy off a balcony by one ankle while he cried and begged us not to drop him. This was after punching both him and his girlfriend in the head. Oh, yeah, I had become one of the popular guys. [sickening to me now] One night after a drunken whiskey binge I had jumped out of a car because I got sick of the "pussies" I was riding around with. I spun around on the ice and didn't die for some reason.

A bunch of nasty crap happened and I woke up at home. My little sister who was about 6 years old at the time came in my room with some childrens bible stories in her little hand. "She said, I love you, Davey, wanna read to me?" I started reading to her and realized I hadn't taken her fishing or done anything much since I "Got Popular".

Wakeup call # 1- I also realized that I had become the type of person I hated and that if I died I'd go straight to hell. I certainly deserved it.

I stopped drinking and asked Christ to forgive me and wash my sins away. I stopped hanging out with my "friends" and started reading the Bible, praying and taking that little girl fishing. I spent a whole lot more time with people I loved and trained hard.
Innocence, has a way of turning the hardest heart into clay.

Wakeup call 2- My dad's heart surgery and triple bypass. Time to lose weight and smarten my stupid, get big by stuffing your face, no cardio doing ass, the hell up.

That song by Garth Brooks, "What if tomorrow never comes?" sort of became my theme song.

 

[Diesel City]

I stopped drinking and asked Christ to forgive me and wash my sins away. I stopped hanging out with my "friends" and started reading the Bible, praying and taking that little girl fishing. I spent a whole lot more time with people I loved and trained hard.
Innocence, has a way of turning the hardest heart into clay.



Amazing JT, thanks for sharing this!

 

[Mr.G]

After reading some of the responses, I have to say there are some strong people on this board. I have not lost a child or someone close, like a parent or my wife. I am sure that time will come & I don't know how I would handle it.

 

[sadie]

a very good friend of mine dying recently.. he was only 4 yrs older then me and died indirectly because he did break neck cycles without getting blood work.. i literally had my blood done a week later and i never use the "im young i have time" excuse to put things i want to do off... live like there is no tomorrow because there may not be..

 

[HELLA SWOLE]

#1.) I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. This opened my eyes to the fact that I am not the leader of my life, but God is. I can make all the plans in the world, but if he doesn't want them to happen, they won't. Although I have had times astray, this has always been the foundation that I come back to. This made me realize that I need to be thankful for my blessings an choose my course of life based on what I think he wants me to do....I work on this on a daily basis though.

#2.) The liver issues that I dealt with and made public on this board a few years back. I always had a personal, internal moral issue with doing gear. I struggled with it mentally, but always ended up justifying my use to myself. There was always something in the back of my mind that told me "no" though, and there was a slight paranoia of health complications arising due to gear.

It wasn't just that, but when I started to compete I was letting my diet/training/pursuit of comepting take priority over MUCH more important things in life. This expreience gave me GREAT humility and made me realize I needed to change and enjoy life more...and I have done just that. I am just thankful it happened so early before I sacrificed even more than I already had.

I am not condemning anyone who uses, so please do not take it that way. This was just a personal thing for me. Wonderful thread though Shelby, BTW. : )

 

[Mr.Bill]

Wake up call: Heart Attack at 43. Luckily for me was a minor one, IF there is such a thing actually. Cardiologist say in my EKG's since then if he did not know where to look he would not be able to tell I had one.........dodged a big one huh.

Knowing my father passed away with one at 62.

Definately a wake up and get moving fatass call. Finding great sites like this and great people I enjoy hearing from and reading their threads. Definate motivation and overall keep a nice balance with my wife of 30 years, Son 28 and Daughter 24.

 

[JETHRO TULL]

I am watching out for that same thing, Bill.

Wake up call: Heart Attack at 43. Luckily for me was a minor one, IF there is such a thing actually. Cardiologist say in my EKG's since then if he did not know where to look he would not be able to tell I had one.........dodged a big one huh.

Knowing my father passed away with one at 62.

Definately a wake up and get moving fatass call. Finding great sites like this and great people I enjoy hearing from and reading their threads. Definate motivation and overall keep a nice balance with my wife of 30 years, Son 28 and Daughter 24.

Glad you made it through with such a postitive result. That's great news.

What are you doing differently now and how often are you getting checked? Just curious, cause I started really watching everything I do now as well.

 

[Mr.Bill]

Glad you made it through with such a postitive result. That's great news.

What are you doing differently now and how often are you getting checked? Just curious, cause I started really watching everything I do now as well.

Thanks JT.
Getting checked annually with office visit, and 2 day nuclear stress test.

He has me on Plavix, Toprol, Altace and Zocor. Which bugs the piss out of me as my BP is always 120/80, my cholesterol is in the 170's usually but with a low (29) HDL guess genetically cursed with low HDL.

as far a food, just cut out the junk mostly. Carb excess was/is my downfall, so I watch them.

Alot more cardio, hell my cardiologist wants me to be like him run 5 miles every morning LOL yea right I tell him I have no want or need to be bony like you. LOL. He laughs because he knows I weight train and happy my ass is on the treadmill, olypical and outside when not 100 degrees

Keep a lookout on that JT, especially if it runs in your family. But you have a good thing in your court, you seem to be in great shape to begin with, Mine was due to sloth (my fault 1000%)

Hindsite is 20/20 when you look back at all the years I have enjoyed hitting the iron (since highschool) and letting myself go so bad.