Memorial Day Weekend
In my somewhat manic quest to move, see, do, explore - or as Andrea says jump, twirl, spin, play - I sometimes lose sight of the possibilities for fun and friendship closer to home. Memorial Day weekend provided suggestive insight as I faced my oft-cited reluctance to commit to plans while wrestling with the discomfort of having no plans and considering, as I did, what role my adventures play in my efforts - conscious or not - to escape the things I want to avoid.
Saturday I spent a beautiful day in Monterey paddling in big, roll-y waves with my team, seeing old friends and new before crashing hard with my newest love Battlestar Galactica, Season One later that night. My race (open women's) got off to an awesome start as SFOCC and Mt. Tam sprinted out neck and neck to the first buoy. We were both paddling super hard to get the edge, each steersman calling powers on the sly. Every time we thought we'd pulled away they came slowly and steadily back into our periphery until finally they inched ahead and then eventually cleared us. We didn't have it dialed in enough to respond. But we had great conditions and a great course with plenty of bumps to ride coming home. We were disappointed to get passed (Lokelani passed us as well) with no comeback but happy to have kept our composure to finish strong with our sights set on working harder for Alcatraz. Both our novice crews finished first while the open men took 2nd.
Sunday, on the spur of the moment, I met up with Dana, who I hadn't seen in awhile outside of group get togethers and who, in a rare moment, didn't care at all about exercise. We shared our stories watching the always colorful Carnaval celebration in the Mission before escaping to Dolores Park where I stumbled across an old group of friends from Miller Freeman including my past roomie and friend, Miriam, some 20 yards away drinking beers in the sun. I'd somehow dropped off that invite list after too many "can't make it's" but was graciously embraced back into the fold as we exchanged hugs and high-fives and memories of past adventures together.
I finished the night watching the sun set over the Marin headlands from Tina and Troy's house in the Presidio over a wonderful spread, slipping easily into triathlon stories with new acquaintances, feeling a tinge of excitement at the possibility of re-committing myself to the sport. Maybe. Maybe.
Monday was my day of introspection. Of things happening around me now, of things I've avoided, of things I think I know but might actually not. And so when that got to be too much I slipped into my running shoes, took a fistful of Ibuprofen and headed out of the house for my first real run since I sprained my ankle. It was a long, slow, flat 60 minutes but it felt fantastic. Oh running, how I've missed you! And then I rejoined my lover BSG for some couch time as I texted Mary back and forth for a sun status (none in NV, none at the beach) before getting up to shower to head out the door for a date I was genuinely excited and eager to happen. On a Monday night of a 3 day weekend, no less. It did not disappoint.
Because while I truly do like to go big and fast and all out until the very end, savoring the opportunities, all the things I love to do and the body - and freedom - I have to do them, when I'm forced to stand still, there's often a tinge of sadness that accompanies it. Maybe its loneliness. Or reality tapping me on the shoulder to say you've gotta address this sometime, kiddo.
Larger topic for another time, but to be fair, that was a part of one of my more well-balanced weekends in a weekend where my only plans were to race outrigger on Saturday.
Friday I lingered over coffee with Andrea catching up on the past 5-6 weeks of our lives. She'd been traveling around the east coast and I'd had new developments at work and at home. While normally I would've felt pressed to be glued to my work email I just didn't care at that point and so we had the ease and luxury of unencumbered time.
Saturday I spent a beautiful day in Monterey paddling in big, roll-y waves with my team, seeing old friends and new before crashing hard with my newest love Battlestar Galactica, Season One later that night. My race (open women's) got off to an awesome start as SFOCC and Mt. Tam sprinted out neck and neck to the first buoy. We were both paddling super hard to get the edge, each steersman calling powers on the sly. Every time we thought we'd pulled away they came slowly and steadily back into our periphery until finally they inched ahead and then eventually cleared us. We didn't have it dialed in enough to respond. But we had great conditions and a great course with plenty of bumps to ride coming home. We were disappointed to get passed (Lokelani passed us as well) with no comeback but happy to have kept our composure to finish strong with our sights set on working harder for Alcatraz. Both our novice crews finished first while the open men took 2nd. Sunday, on the spur of the moment, I met up with Dana, who I hadn't seen in awhile outside of group get togethers and who, in a rare moment, didn't care at all about exercise. We shared our stories watching the always colorful Carnaval celebration in the Mission before escaping to Dolores Park where I stumbled across an old group of friends from Miller Freeman including my past roomie and friend, Miriam, some 20 yards away drinking beers in the sun. I'd somehow dropped off that invite list after too many "can't make it's" but was graciously embraced back into the fold as we exchanged hugs and high-fives and memories of past adventures together. I finished the night watching the sun set over the Marin headlands from Tina and Troy's house in the Presidio over a wonderful spread, slipping easily into triathlon stories with new acquaintances, feeling a tinge of excitement at the possibility of re-committing myself to the sport. Maybe. Maybe.Monday was my day of introspection. Of things happening around me now, of things I've avoided, of things I think I know but might actually not. And so when that got to be too much I slipped into my running shoes, took a fistful of Ibuprofen and headed out of the house for my first real run since I sprained my ankle. It was a long, slow, flat 60 minutes but it felt fantastic. Oh running, how I've missed you! And then I rejoined my lover BSG for some couch time as I texted Mary back and forth for a sun status (none in NV, none at the beach) before getting up to shower to head out the door for a date I was genuinely excited and eager to happen. On a Monday night of a 3 day weekend, no less. It did not disappoint.So really, the point here is what I would've missed if I'd been consumed with getting away for the weekend and plotting activity after activity - going to the mountains or to the coast or to Pasadena where I probably should've gone to visit family. But I committed to one thing, left the rest open to chance, and around that a wealth of interactions and experiences were able to happen. Balance, balance, balance. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Must remember B-A-L-A-N-C-E.
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