Swimming

For several summers in college, I was a lifeguard and camp counselor at camps in Colorado and Texas. My sister Jennifer and I use to take the short walk to the officer's club pool every day in the summer as kids. I always felt comfortable in the water. This last Thursday, my friend Carrie and I visited a new pool near by for the lap swim time. My suit was not suitable (a tankini from Wal-mart bought 4 years ago), and I had no swim cap or goggles. But I swam several laps, only to find out that I still enjoyed swimming, but I have not had formal swim training since those lessons in elementary school. Good thing Carrie is a real swimmer who knows her stuff. I still felt great. I went home and purchased a purple and black suit, goggles, and a purple swim cap online. I'm so excited to be back in the pool again!

My inspiration to swim come from two people. First, Dara Torres (pictured here), 40-year-old Olympian, need I say more. Second, (and even more influential in my decision to start swimming) my little five-year-old niece, who must have been a mermaid in a different life.

Fresh Apples

This Saturday, I went apple picking at Autumn Orchards in Groton, MA. The orchard was on series of hills, making it quite a work out to collect apples. We shared a picnic lunch on a beautiful clear 70 degree day. My pie just came out of the oven. Smells good...

The farm had roosters, geese, and a beautiful view. On our way home, we visited Walden Pond, seen in the picture through the trees.

Friday

At work, we just started having therapy dogs come to see our teenagers. The dogs are from an organization called Caring Canines. I find myself now waking up every Friday with excitement to see the dogs! Here's a picture of Joseph, one of our favorites! They brighten our day!

Life is...

Life is too fast, too slow, boring, messy, dramatic, disappointing, and fascinating. Most of us do the same thing every day. I wake up each morning to a cup of black coffee and a bowl of fiber enriched cereal. If I, for some reason, walk out of the door without completing this routine, my day is completely thrown off, in more ways than one if you get the picture. In any given day, I may or may not accomplish the most basic tasks of some peoples' lives, such as checking my e-mail, updating my blog, crossing tasks off in my day planner, and washing the evening dishes. Some days, I feel that my life is completely boring and predictable. Work, television, sleep, repeat.

So I complete my bi-weekly trip to the grocery store, where I always spend more money than I intend. Predictably, I swallow hard when I swipe my card and exit the store with a mountain of food and plastic white grocery bags, ripe and ready to pollute the earth. I forgot the eco-friendly bags again.

I flip on PBS and watch my Saturday cooking shows, and enter into a fantasy world of food and travel. I too once traveled, and tasted, and experienced life in another world. The places that I have traveled seem to remain inside of me, awakened by images of cobble stoned roads and fresh seafood. In the here and now, the daily bread of my life is sufficient and even bountiful. Really, I can't complain. But I am afraid that my routine often sends me into the auto-pilot mode. Again, work, television, sleep, repeat. One more chapter in the book of American work-aholism, 2008. Ironically, my job, the service for which I am paid, is to help people to unlock their potential and live life with grace and passion (at least that's how I see it). When I actually have time to "have fun" and "enjoy life" I am merely trying to recover from the grind. By grind, I mean that same feeling that causes me to grind my teeth in the shower when I have a 9 o'clock meeting. I am either sleeping, or moving. I avoid sitting still, because my drive toward productivity refuses to go down without a fight.

This blog is about my daily choice to seek passion not productivity, freedom, not guilt, joy, not depression, peace, not worry.