Sometimes, my favorite machine at the gym is taken when I’m ready to work out that muscle. When this happens, immediately there’s a proverbial fork in the road appears in my mind. I often try to trick myself into thinking it’s not a fork, but a detour, because the left fork is an unlit, pothole-riddled, caliche sendero. “Is that even safe?” I might feebly ask myself. So even though I know this bumpy, left fork is the only way to get to where I’m trying to go, I’ll still set my eyes on the tantalizing right fork…

The right fork is paved, smooth, and bright — all the lines recently painted. My eyes gravitate to it and immediately I feel a sense of calm wash over my whole body. It’s an invitation to a gloriously frictionless, silky smooth ride. Totally carefree. And I know exactly where it goes, because it’s not actually a detour… It’s a loop leading right back to the familiar starting point.

Is there a nagging sensation underneath all of this potential oncoming assuagement? One whose name I know, but that I don’t speak out loud? Rhyming with blame, tame, same…? Well, yeah. That’s there. And I know it’s there. But I don’t have to acknowledge it… I showed up to the gym, ready to work out, and my machine was taken. Don’t I get points for trying? Next time, my machine will be free. It’ll all work out.

Sometimes, in these situations, though, I’ll snap myself into awareness of the fork. I’ll get really honest with myself and my intentions, and recognize that when I’m considering the left and the right forks, I’m always doing one of two things: looking for a way out of having to deal with my obstacles, or a way through them.

If I’m honest with myself, it’s crystal clear that I can:

• Ask to alternate with the person on the machine
• Pick a different machine targeting the same muscle
• Do the next workout in my routine and come back to that machine when it’s free
• This list could be virtually infinite…

Would you look at that? It’s not just a left and a right fork after all. There are actually countless alternate paths I could choose. And all of them lead towards the place I wanted to get to when I started down this road to begin with. So in actuality, there’s only one fork that leads me back to where I started…

So this a reminder to self that, as my obstacles continue to reliably present themselves at unpredictable frequencies packing varying intensities, I am always choosing to find a way out of them, or a way through them.