This morning, while sitting at my desk, I was feeling achy after some hard rowing machine exercises recently. The plan for today called for two sets of high-speed intervals, which (to be honest) I didn’t feel motivated to do. When I sat down on the Hydrow around noon, I was grumbling to myself about having too many demanding workouts right before Christmas vacation, rather than being able to relax and wind down.

I started to feel better after an easy 15-minute warmup, though. Watching the virtual-journey scenery (the one I chose was a river in Australia) go by on the monitor was relaxing, and the aches faded away. When I did the intervals, I was faster than the previous time I’d done them, and I felt stronger. Afterward, I did an easy 30-minute cool-down row to flush out the muscles, and later in the day I did some exercises with a soft foam roller. I’m feeling pretty good now—there was nothing to grumble about, after all.

Word-art that says, "The one who falls and gets up is much stronger than the one who never fell."

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

When I sat down at the computer this evening to put together a Nurturing Thursday post, I have to confess that I was not feeling imaginative and wasn’t sure what to say. My day had been quiet and calm, but not particularly creative. I felt like I had words floating around randomly in my brain that didn’t want to arrange themselves into anything useful. Rather than worry about where my imagination might have gone, I decided that I should just get some rest and be thankful for a calm day.

Word-art that says, "The best use of imagination is creativity. The worst use of imagination is anxiety." -Deepak Chopra

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

When I came across this word-art image, it left me with feelings of peace and contentment; so, I’m sharing it for Nurturing Thursday, in hopes that it will leave my readers feeling happier too. Enjoy!

Word-art that says, "May joy and peace surround you, contentment latch your door, and happiness be with you now and bless you evermore!" -Irish blessing

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

Happy Thanksgiving! I had a joyful day. This morning, I ran the Turkey Trot with my family. I was well rested and naturally woke up early, the weather was comfortably cool, and I kept a steady pace. After we got home and everyone was out of the shower and dressed, we decided to put up the Christmas tree. We usually wait until after Thanksgiving, but the coming week is forecast to be wintery, so we decided to go ahead and brighten the house with holiday lights. It looks very cheerful now, and we had a relaxing day and a good dinner. There was much to be thankful for today.

Word-art with a turkey pulling a child's wagon that says, "A Joyful Day to You."

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

After many unseasonably warm autumn days, it finally turned cold last night. Seeing that snow was in the forecast, my husband dutifully put the snowblower attachment on the multi-purpose lawn mower yesterday. There wasn’t actually a need for it, given that we both work from home and had no errands to run. But, after so many years when snow was a chore to be dealt with before going to the office, getting the snowblower ready before the white stuff first made its appearance was his usual routine.

It melted quickly, of course, because the ground was still warm. This wasn’t a day for snow angels, snow sculptures, or other winter fun. Everything was just damp and gray. Still, I opened the blinds to let in what sunlight there was, reminding myself that winter is part of nature and there is joy to be found in any weather.

Word-art that says, "If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow."

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

Following up on last month’s post about sweaty hands while rowing, which stressed me out when I couldn’t hold the oars properly in a 5K race in early October, I had the same problem rowing at the Head of the Charles two weeks later. I drank plenty of electrolyte mix before racing, but I wasn’t as well rested as I should have been, and I drank too much coffee that morning. That got me wondering if I might do better if I abstained from coffee for a while.

So, I gave up caffeinated coffee and tea for three weeks, drinking only decaf until the end of the fall rowing season. That didn’t make the problem go away, either. It just made me feel cranky. I had been cheerful and optimistic when the season started, but by November I felt lost without a clue, wandering aimlessly.

Last week, after my final race of the year, I went back to drinking coffee—just one cup—each morning. As far as I can tell, a small amount of coffee doesn’t make me sweat more on the rowing machine. Even if it did, that wouldn’t matter anyway because holding the machine’s handle is a much simpler motion than sculling. My hands won’t be a concern in the spring either; for Masters rowers, the spring races are 1K sprints, which take about four minutes, so they’re already over before I’ve had time to build up much of a sweat.

Hopefully, by next fall the problem will have gone away. Until then, I am just going to enjoy my coffee and not worry about what might—or might not—happen many months in the future.

Word-art that says, "Not all who wander are lost. Most of them are just looking for coffee."

Sometimes, thinking of all that needs to be done to change the world can feel overwhelming. When that happens, I find it helpful to sit in silence, feeling the peaceful rhythms of my breathing and of my heartbeat. Not everything can be done in this moment, I remind myself—but, with kindness, much can be done.

Word-art that says, 'Hearts that beat to the tune of kindness can change the rhythm of the world."

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

This week, I couldn’t summon enough energy for writing. The world feels as if it is rushing over a waterfall. Although many things are out of my control, I can choose to take enough time to rest. I am not obligated to push myself to do better, work harder, or impress anyone with my diligence. I can consciously decide to slow down enough to create a safe space in which to heal.

Word-art that says, "When it all feels too much. When I can't stop scrolling, numbing, eating, distracting. When I can't get out of bed or get dressed after my shower. I will know this is a part of me with a clear message. I will meet this part of me with a compassionate nod of my head, and with my hand on my heart I will understand that I have been holding far too much for far too long. I will let myself slow down. I will create safety for my pain to be heard and my body to rest." -Rebekah Ballagh

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

Although I won’t be doing anything for Halloween this year because my husband and I are traveling, Halloween does fall on a Thursday this year, so a greeting to suit the occasion seems right for today’s Nurturing Thursday post. Boo!

Word-art that says, "Hallowe'en Greeting."

(Image credit: The Graphics Fairy)

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

My husband recently had a birthday, and I gave him a card wishing him “many more adventures” as we were leaving for the Head of the Charles regatta. We were given a great parking space for the boat trailer when we arrived in Boston. It was right next to a dock, and the weather was sunny and comfortable. We rigged our double and went for a practice row.

Photo of a small boat trailer in Boston next to the Charles River.

Then we visited the Hydrow office, which was lots of fun. We’ve been using our Hydrow rowing machine regularly since we bought it almost five years ago in a Black Friday sale; it’s connected to an online library of workout videos featuring athlete instructors rowing on rivers across the world. Also, there are “journey” rows without an instructor where you can just watch the scenery go by, and other options that include yoga, Pilates, and stretching and mobility exercises. Hydrow always has something new and interesting to find.

The company invited us to take part in a panel discussion with other customers and with some of the athletes, and they also filmed my husband, who is very active in the Hydrow users’ Facebook groups, for a commercial. That was all very cool! On race day, the weather stayed good, and the river was calm. The Head of the Charles is the largest rowing regatta in the world, with many high-level competitors, so my husband and I were just in it for fun. That was all right; just being there is exciting.

Last week, after returning home, we did a 5K Halloween running race, and now we’re off again for another rowing regatta in Chattanooga. So much traveling and racing takes a lot of energy, and I’ll be ready to wind down and take it easier when the winter comes; but it’s good to have future adventures to imagine.