The Campbell Academy Blog (65)

Have to Get to

It's Monday today.

I was up at 6.30 am, dragged myself out of bed and unfolded my creaking body, went downstairs in the dark, patted the dogs, walked out to the car in the p*ssing rain, reversed the car out the drive and drove five minutes to the tennis club down the road to meet Gregor for a PT session at seven o'clock.

It lasts an hour.

After the 1st 10 minutes, it's much better.

It's pretty social, there's music, all that stuff.

I then go back home, say hi to Callum and Alison, pat the dogs and then go out to the shed and try to ride the bike (only 40 minutes this morning).

I come back in to have breakfast, shower, and then back into the shed to work until I see patients at two o'clock.

You can approach this start to the week in one of two ways.

I can tell myself that I have to get up at 6.30 and that I have to get these clothes on and that I have to walk through the rain and that I have to get to Gregor.

When I get back, I have to get on my bike, and then I have to go as fast as I can to get back into the shed, light the candles and sit in my little cave until it's time to go to work which, of course, I have to go to, or I can tell myself (and believe) that I get to do this.

This morning, I got to get up early, get in the car, drive to a PT session and come home from that and be finished having done it earlier than most people have got to work.

I didn't have to do anything else as soon as I got back. I got to come out into the shed and ride my bike again, and now I sit here writing this, looking at the cobwebs and the sun shining through the glass and putting together some projects and some work of extraordinary privilege for me.

It's always about whether it's half empty or half full because we have so much choice in front of us, an infinite amount of choice available to most of us, but it's really important to remember that what you're doing today you get to do, you don't have to do.