Meg Evans

During the RowFest national regatta last week, which was held on Lake Ford in Michigan, I raced my single on Friday afternoon. I’m always somewhat nervous about it because most of my rowing has been in the double, which is larger and steadier. The single is a narrow little boat that can be hard to control in the wind.

Last Thursday had such high winds that many races were canceled. I rowed the double with my husband, but it was still windy and choppy enough that we couldn’t get much speed. That gave me some anxiety about going out in the single the next day. Better conditions were predicted, but Thursday’s wind had been worse than the forecast, so I couldn’t be sure how things might turn out. I told myself to stop worrying about it.

As it happened, Friday afternoon had little wind and the best conditions of the regatta. I felt all right about racing the single, although I didn’t win a medal in that race. I stayed even with one of my competitors all the way down the course, but she put on more speed at the end and finished ahead of me. That didn’t bother me too much, however. My husband told me later that she’d said, after the race, that she and her husband had been trying to beat us for a long time and saw us as their benchmark. That left me feeling happier!

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 Tuesday’s post about being prepared for weather, here’s an inspiring thought from Rumi about morning sunlight breaking through dark storms. Happy Thursday!

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 the long days of summer are often hot, I enjoy getting outdoors for quiet evening rows with my husband. Yesterday we had the river to ourselves for a pleasant sunset row. There was very little wind, and the water flowed gently through a peaceful landscape. Only the rhythm of our oars and the song of the bullfrogs broke the silence.

It’s not really a wilderness, of course—just a short stretch of river passing through an urban park, with highway bridges and their traffic noise at both ends of the course. Even so, we often see beavers, herons, bald eagles, and other wildlife that leave us feeling refreshed by the natural 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.”

I spent some time outdoors with friends today, in a cheerful group talking and laughing. This image seemed to suit the mood—I hope you enjoy it and are having a wonderful evening, too!

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.”

Tuesday evening, although still hot after I finished an outdoor workout with my husband, felt lovely and peaceful anyway. Wednesday morning wasn’t the most comfortable because the heat wave is still going on, and we woke up to find that the air conditioner wasn’t working. We already had planned to leave early in the afternoon for a road trip, however, and we have a service appointment scheduled for when we return.

I’m still anticipating a fun, magical trip with no worries!

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.”

The clock on my computer went past midnight just now, so this post will have to be published with a Friday date because I didn’t get around to doing it earlier. For a moment, I thought about cheating—that is, setting the date stamp for this entry to Thursday so my readers wouldn’t notice it was a delayed post. But then I decided that was silly. After all, it’s not like anyone expects me to be perfect.

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 had a good laugh at my expense when we were rowing in our double this evening. We were just about to start a set of two 1K rows when I saw a hairy spider on the side of the boat, next to my leg. Rather than touch it, I tried to flick it off using a hand towel. That didn’t work because it jumped on the towel, and then I got startled and clumsily dropped the towel in the river. Then my husband came to my aid and gallantly squashed the spider, which was still clinging to the wet towel.

He was still laughing about it when we got home, but I suppose that’s all right. Better than complaining, anyway—and we could all use a few more giggles.

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.”

The June rowing plan that I’m doing with my husband, created by our online coaches, has different exercises than those we had gotten comfortable doing in past workouts. They have more sets of intervals, and the focus is on building power at lower rates and improving form. The sudden change left me tired earlier in the week, but not so much today. That’s how growth happens…

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 have to admit, this is not the Nurturing Thursday post I had in mind to write when I sat down at the computer. After choosing a different topic, I couldn’t get the words to flow. So, instead, I left that post for another time and decided to give myself a reminder about patience for today.

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 went out to get groceries this morning, I drove along a curving road beside the river, with trees arching overhead in a lovely green tunnel that reminded me of the description of trees along the country lane in Anne of Green Gables. Although I go that way all the time and usually don’t think much about it, today its natural beauty made an impression on me. I felt fortunate to have such a peaceful break from my workday, even if I was just doing the grocery shopping.

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.”