Last weekend’s trip to Boston was amazing! The Head of the Charles regatta, which has a 60-year history and many thousands of athletes, is MUCH bigger and more competitive than anywhere else I have rowed. To be honest, I felt kind of apprehensive when my husband organized the trip, but everything went well. People lined the bridges cheering for the athletes, and some of our online friends gave us a cowbell and kazoo decorated with a rowing motif so that we could make some noise too.

Photo of a cowbell and kazoo on a table.

My husband’s single race was on Friday morning, when the middle-aged and older rowers compete. He got into a collision with another boat under a bridge and lost some time because of it, so he didn’t do as well as he would have liked; but I have to give him credit for being brave enough to go out there in a single, which I’ll freely admit I was not.

Although it rained much of the day on Saturday, we went out to cheer for our friends and our coaches anyway. I had to change my shoes after they got wet, but that was okay because my husband ordered some nice waterproof boots for me after we got home.

In our quad race on Sunday, my husband was in bow and steered well through the narrow Boston bridges. It was very exciting to be on the course with big crowds cheering for us! Even though we weren’t anywhere near the frontrunners, it was a lot of fun anyway. My husband is already talking about going back next year to row our double.

I’m scheduling this post in advance because of more traveling, to Boston this week—it will be my first time competing in the famous Head of the Charles regatta. It’s an exciting adventure for my mixed quad crew, none of whom have rowed there before. For this week’s Nurturing Thursday, I’m wishing everyone a wonderful early morning, filled with love.

Word-art that says, "And today, I hope you wake up with love. Love for life, love for others, and most importantly, love for yourself."

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.”

I thought about calling this post “Embracing my Inner Couch Potato,” but then I decided that didn’t work because there was nothing “inner” about the way my rear end inhabited the couch yesterday. I had a vacation week scheduled, with one free day between returning Sunday night from a two-day rowing regatta (in which my mixed quad crew won second place, yay) and setting out on the road again Tuesday. So, having very little energy when I woke up on Monday, I spent much of the day in total veg-out mode.

Photo of vegetables on grocery shelves.

(Photo credit: Pamela V. White)

My glorious day as a veggie queen ended around 5 PM when I begrudgingly pried my butt off the couch cushions and went to do my prescribed rowing machine workout, followed by shower, dinner, and packing clothes for the next trip. But it was wonderful while it lasted.

For much of the year, I’d been feeling overscheduled and run down from so much hurrying to row after work, in combination with some overtime this summer and road trips to regattas. That was far too much, and my body had been screaming at me to slow down and rest. The Monday veg-out day was greatly needed and was taken with intention. Truth be told, I didn’t feel at all guilty about lazing around on the couch while my husband was in the home office all day fixing the latest software blow-up at work.

I haven’t spent much time online recently because the fall rowing season is underway, but that is all right. Traveling to regattas with my teammates is fun, although it keeps me busy, and the training exercises (even if not fun) are great for fitness. I anticipate many good things to come!

Word-art that says, "Anticipate beauty. Believe in miracles. Count on grace. Decide on joy. Expect peace." -Mary Davis

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.”

I did an indoor rowing exercise this afternoon, consisting of four intervals of 5 minutes each. It was part of a weekly plan that my husband and I get from our online coaches. Last year, I was assigned a precise result for this same exercise: my time for each 500 meters (known in rowing jargon as the split) was to be 2:12.2. Over 5 minutes, that comes out to 1,135 meters. I was able to do it for each interval, but it felt exhausting.

The coaches weren’t so exact about it this year, and when I sat down on the machine, I had in mind that I would just try to stay somewhere around a 2:12 split and not worry about where it came out. The exercise felt like it had a much easier flow this time, and as it turned out, I still ended up with precisely 2:12.2 for each interval. Not overthinking it worked much better for me!

Word-art that says, "STOP OVERTHINKING. You can't control everything, just let it be."

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.”

Many years ago, I lived in a neighborhood where an outdoor cat had a habit of walking in mud puddles and then jumping up on parked cars, leaving a line of muddy paw prints across the car. Maybe the cat thought of itself as an artist. We usually kept our cars safely in the garage, but the cat got my husband’s car once when it was in the driveway, and our daughter (who was very young) thought it was hilarious when he grumbled, “I hate cats!” For a long time after that, she went around saying, “Daddy HATES cats!” and giggling.

That memory came to mind not long ago, randomly, when I was looking at a cat picture online. It got me thinking about how quickly life goes by. Even when things seem like major annoyances at the time, we may find that they make us smile later.

Word-art that says, "Never regret anything that made you smile." -Mark Twain

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.”

September 28, 2023 · 2 comments · Categories: Musings · Tags:

Almost four years ago, I wrote about a dream in which my subconscious mind repeatedly gave me a very insistent message: “Avoid assumptions, leave space for improvement.”

Not long afterward, the entire world’s assumptions got knocked for a loop in 2020, which made for some uncharted territory when it came to finding space for improvement in a much-changed society. I made more friends online, and one of them kindly gave me a custom-made mug decorated with my new personal motto. I’ve been keeping squares of dark chocolate in it.

Photo of a mug with the words "Avoid Assumptions" and "Leave Space for Improvement."

Looking back at the changes, I had more space for improvement in my life than I knew. Because labor shortages have prompted management to do more to retain long-term employees, I feel more valued in my workplace. My husband changed jobs, is better paid, and can work from home, after a lifetime of cube-dwelling purgatory. Our finances are in better order, and we have much more freedom to travel now that we both can work remotely. I’m keeping the mug on my desk in hopes it will bring more good fortune my way!

I had meant to post my weekly Thursday entry earlier, but once again, the day got away from me. One of these days I’ll get my life better sorted. Of course, like anything else, it takes patience…

Word-art that says, "Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is persistence." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

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 to compose my Nurturing Thursday entry, I got distracted and spent some time browsing through old stories and posts I wrote many years ago. I had meant to say something about those persistent feelings of always searching for a sense of direction, with a bright, shiny future somewhere just out of sight.

After looking at some of my past blog entries, though, I realized there had been quite a lot going on in my life, whether or not I’d been consciously aware of it. I had been growing my wings—much more than I knew.

Word-art that says, "Your time as a caterpillar has expired. Your wings are ready."

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.”

September 13, 2023 · 2 comments · Categories: Musings · Tags:

What does it mean when you suddenly disappear in a dream?

I recently dreamed that I walked into a quiet, ordinary living room and was looking around. The room had white walls and white furniture, sort of like this photo:

Photo of a room with white walls and furniture.

(Creative Commons image via flickr)

Then my body vanished from the scene, but somehow, I was still there looking at the room. While I was trying—without much success—to make sense of how that could have happened, I woke up.

I’ve been wondering how to interpret that dream, and my best guess is that I feel lost in ordinary routine, searching for myself against a backdrop of plain white walls. Where do I want to be, really? And how do I keep myself from disappearing before I find it?

Of course, many of us are having such thoughts these days—so I’d say that dream was a sign of the times.