I love my sport, I really do, but man this body is taking a beating. Thank god there are so many supplements, vitamins, stem cells, and collagen boosters that help me heal because my body is struggling these days. I am gearing up to go to Open Mat and I am hurting like the dickens right now. Gnarly mat burn right across my cheek bones leaving its mark from training last night, joints that feel like they’re on fire, and swollen body parts that I don’t even fully understand their origin story. I wonder how much worse off I would be if I wasn’t privy to such helpful soothing options such as stem cells, which does seem to work wonders for cell regenerations and boosting certain inequities with my injuries. Or peptides which are all the rage for competitive athletes. I legitimately can’t wait until I can come home and slather some arthritic cream on my body and throw some ice packs on my knees before heading out to some 4th of July barbeques and fireworks.
I’ve already got the red mat burn I talked about earlier, and some fresh black and blue bruises to complete my patriotic holiday aesthetic. And like the absolute idiotic moron I am, I signed up to compete this weekend. There was a method to this madness by the way, mainly being I know I am going to be out from competition for quite some time, and I figured a little local competition that doesn’t count for any rankings couldn’t hurt. I get really bad FOMO watching everyone compete around me, and this body, specifically my knee is already run so deep into the ground how much worse can it get? Hopefully these aren’t some famous last words coming back to bite me in the butt, but I guess we will see what happens in next week’s blog.
Sometimes I look back on the years I have had on this earth and think that I am still so young, that I shouldn’t feel so chewed up and spit out. But then I get to thinking that a 30 year car would have far too many miles and begin to be such a tin can on wheels compared to all the newer models on the road. A 30 year warranty sounds great in print, but by the end, it begins to sound so damn outdated. So even though in the grand scheme of things when you compare it to how long the average lifespan lasts, I’m like damn. Do I really wake up every day for this many more years hurting this badly and limited in my mobility, unable to maneuver my body certain ways? What are the geniuses in the medical industry discovering if it’s not for pain? I’m tired of the temporary bandaid fixes a cream or a pill can provide. At least I love what I do, because love is a great narcotic.
What an unproductive blog post full of complaints today, but I guess I am just expressing my freedom of speech, awarded to me as part of the 1st amendment in the constitution. Allowed to write this weekly blog because I live in America, which grants me the freedom to express myself without the repercussions from the government for writing about my opinions. While there may be some people reading my blogs out there in my local community who disagree, or even hate me for my opinions and what I write, I can not be persecuted for these words. Now, the court of public opinion is something different entirely, and as we all know, cancel culture has gotten wildly out of control. But I for one, am truly grateful to live where I do and have the rights I was granted by being born in this country, the land of the free and the home of the brave.
So we will see how this weekend goes, and I hope the only red, white, and blue I see is solely from today. I’d like to refrain from further blood, bruises, cuts, and abrasions, but I know my knee is hanging on by a thread regardless. Either way, I will do my best to bring another round of explosive fireworks, and let’s hope that’s the only thing that snaps, crackles, and pops. If you are reading this post today, I wish you a happy 4th of July, and may you enjoy all the freedoms you have in life. And to all of you Jiu Jitsu athletes, take care of your bodies. Look into stem cells, PRP, and hyaluronic acid. Take your vitamins, your peptides and your collagen. Utilize ice baths and saunas. Drink plenty of water, get enough sleep, and allow yourself the occasional rest day to keep things in tip top shape. Tonight we raise our glasses full of beer to the sky, and dump our tea in the harbor. Let freedom ring!
