Yesterday I learned about Saint Expeditus.
He was a Roman centurion in the 4th century, and the story goes that he was on the verge of converting to Christianity. At the moment of his conversion, the devil appeared in the form of a crow, crying "Cras! Cras! Cras!"
In Latin, cras means tomorrow.
The message was simple. Wait. Not yet. You can do it later.
Expeditus crushed the crow beneath his foot and declared "Hodie." Today.
This is why almost every depiction of Saint Expeditus shows a crow beneath his foot with the word "Cras" and a palm in his hand reading "Hodie." He is, fittingly, the patron saint of urgent causes, swift solutions, and people trying to break free from delayed action.
I find this story hard to let go of.
Because the crow shows up everywhere. It shows up in health. It shows up in fitness. It shows up in chronic pain, perhaps more than anywhere else.
I'll start on Monday. I'll look into it after the holidays. I've been meaning to get that checked out.
Nike built their entire brand on "Just Do It." They also ran a campaign with a line that cuts just as deep: Yesterday you said today. Different words. Same crow.
The people who walk through our doors have often been living with pain for years. Not because they didn't care. Not because they weren't motivated. But because the crow was convincing. Because tomorrow always felt close enough.
It never is.
The crow does not stop. It just changes what it says. It finds new reasons, new timing, new logic. It is relentless because delay is its only weapon.
Expeditus did not argue with the crow. He crushed it.
There is only one answer to cras.
Hodie.
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