Meg Evans

I haven’t spent much time online recently because my husband and I have been rowing more, now that we’re training to compete in actual on-the-water races instead of last year’s virtual races on rowing machines. The virtual races gave us something to do when there wasn’t much else going on; but of course, road trips to real races are a lot more fun.

And our daughter, who lives in the Cleveland area, has come home to visit after a year of not traveling anywhere. Life is starting to feel like we’re setting out on a great adventure again!

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

My husband is the coxswain for our rowing club. I don’t row the big team boats, so when he coxes on Tuesday and Thursday after work, I stay home and work a longer day.

When he came home this evening, he told me that the rowers rescued a small bird that had somehow fallen into the river. It was too waterlogged to fly and was flapping frantically, struggling to stay afloat. Maneuvering the boat next to the bird took a little time, what with being careful not to bump it or create a wake that would swamp it. Once the boat was in a good position, one of the rowers picked the bird up out of the water, and the crew brought it safely to shore.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

We’ve had a lot of rain around here the past couple of days, so I wasn’t sure about the rowing plans that my husband and I had yesterday. The weather forecast said that there would be a break in the rain by late afternoon. When we got down to the boathouse, though, it was still chilly and a light rain was falling.

As it turned out, we didn’t mind the rain because we had comfortable rowing jackets and the water was fairly calm, even with the drizzle. It was good to be outdoors. Although our feet got wet, otherwise there was nothing at all to worry about. We felt glad that we went ahead with our plans.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

When I sat down to write a Nurturing Thursday post after a long and busy day, not much came to mind right away. Outside the window, birds were calling to each other as the daylight faded from the sky. I took a breath and just sat there quietly in the desk chair, without trying to force myself to be productive about writing a blog entry or doing anything else. The world seemed to slow down around me. I became aware of my heartbeat, the gentle breeze from the ceiling fan, and the texture of the carpet under my feet. Everything had gone still. For the moment, there was only the simple joy of being.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

The flowers I planted last weekend were flourishing when I went out to water them this afternoon. They have grown noticeably and look like they’re enjoying the sun and warmth. Like the flowers, I’m starting to feel newly planted in a better place, too. But I need to keep in mind that I am still putting down roots and sending up new growth, so I need to be gentle with myself.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

I haven’t yet gotten around to planting annual flowers, mainly because the weather has been chilly and going outdoors just hasn’t seemed as inviting. But it was comfortable today, the sun was shining in a clear sky, and I’m definitely going to do my planting this weekend. Getting connected with the earth doesn’t just nurture the garden; it also takes care of the soul.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

These days, with so much change in the world, it’s hard to picture what the future might look like. Sometimes I feel that I’ve lost all sense of direction and am spinning all around like a weathervane in gusty, shifting winds. When that happens, I remind myself that whatever paths I may take, there will always be dreams to inspire me and wonderful surprises along the way.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

This week I’ve not been able to stay as calm and relaxed as usual. Some of it has simply been a matter of not getting to bed early enough; but I slept well last night and still don’t feel altogether back to my normal self, for reasons that are mostly unknown. The human brain has its quirks, and sometimes cause and effect are less than clear. So I’ve been taking it easy and, when my thoughts wander, bringing them back gently with a reminder to just be with myself.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

Chilly winds have been howling outside my house today, but there’s a bit of sunlight peeking through the clouds and plenty of green leaves unfolding, so it’s all good. Happy Thursday!

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

Although it’s officially spring, today was chilly and windy here, and I was glad that I didn’t have to go anywhere besides walking down the driveway to get the mail. Mostly I just sat at my desk. My work was about the same as always. During a break I went downstairs to get some exercise on the rowing machine.

I’m planning to row at a regatta in Tennessee with my husband over the Memorial Day weekend. We are very much looking forward to getting out again; but after being at home for such a long time, it still seems far away and not quite real yet. I wasn’t thinking much about getting ready for the competition while rowing on the machine, but was focused on maintaining good form and sitting up straight.

Then my husband came downstairs to chat for a few minutes, and he mentioned that I was sitting up straight and looking good. He expects us to do well at the regatta because we have been working out regularly and getting faster. I was glad that he noticed my efforts; and this was a good reminder that every day matters, even when it seems like there’s not much happening.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.