"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." Albert Einstein
Over the course of the past year I have tried to put down a solid effort. This is both physical and mental and I find those long days of grinding out the sweat, blood and tears builds up confidence in my strength and conditioning for the next round of training. This can be similar to a periodized training plan with a rowing twist on it.
Every once in a while an opportunity arises that allows everything come together and creates a synchronized symphony of opportunity and productivity. It makes my whole body tingle all over when it happens - everything I have been working towards comes together exactly as planned. To date, it has only happened five times in my life. The first experience was more of a coming-of-age story and I was 16 years old.
I really wanted to repair my fathers' old Saab 900 that was parked out back behind the house under a large evergreen for the previous 10 years. When I had my learners license (at the time it was only took one month) I begged my Dad to let me drive the Saab as my first vehicle. We pulled it into the garage and had to do some repairs due to a decade of sitting had taken its toll. After we changed the oil, spark plugs, fan belt, air filters, stereo etc. all it needed was a new muffler. So, I spent one afternoon driving to Cranbrook to get a new exhaust system put on. I waited for the muffler man to finish up and I paced the waiting room with anticipation. I got the keys and drove back on the highway towards Fernie and in the first minute of driving it happened. I turned the volume up on the new stereo and I felt the smooth rumble of the finely tuned engine and my whole body just melted in a waterfall of emotion. I was so happy, a smile ear to ear - I was tingling all over. In my 16 year old mind, I felt that I had really made it. Everything I wanted had come together and I was driving my own personal freedom in the direction I wanted it.
The second and third time were with other exceptional life experiences. I received the letter that I was accepted into UBC for my undergraduate degree. The third is when I made (the right) decision to hold-off attending Chiropractic college for a year to see about a girl, who is now my fiance. The fourth time was in July 2011 when I called my Dad after finding out I was invited to train at the VTC leading up to the Pan-Am Games.
This last time was just a few days ago. I'm not sure why this was a feeling of things coming together for opportunity but it happened. It felt like I had stepped up the game and ready for the next challenge in rowing. I was invited to train with the heavyweight 8+'s Olympic group at Shawnigan Lake for Friday and Saturday. They needed a fill-in to have a complete boat and for some reason I was their guy. It was an opportunity to get some feedback from Mike Spracklen and also get some experience rowing with the decades worth of experience that the other guys bring to the boat. So after I found out I was driving home and one of my favorite songs came on Over the Hills and Far Away, by Led Zeppelin. It started small and then I couldn't contain it. I had a giant smile and I felt like the past 4-5 months of hard work were paying off. Even though there is no real benefit or selections from going to Shawnigan Lake to me, in my mind, it is a step forward.
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