Give it a tri so you can tell yourself you can and not worry about what others think!

If you follow me on instagram you would have seen in my stories that I ran a triathlon this past weekend. 

It was a mini of a mini, but it was fun to challenge myself to do something I haven’t in a while.  I haven’t swam in about 3 years, thanks to my expensive covering of my gray hairs, and I haven’t run in a while as I got out of the habit and it became a lot of excuses about my ankle, knee, back and the list goes on. 

There is beauty in giving something a try, when you are not quite sure how it’s going to turn out.  

I think this is a sign of wisdom in aging.  Give it a try so you can tell yourself you can and not worry about what others think of your white belly shining brightly out of your swimsuit.  

The night before the triathlon, they have a kids tri.  So we got there just in time to see them riding their bikes up and down the street with everyone cheering and smiling watching the joy (and seriousness) on the kids' faces.

As we waited for a break in the race, we noticed a girl fall off her bike and of course we all held our breath until she got up.  What we noticed was that she had one prosthetic leg.  But up she got off the ground with her moms help and she was back on the bike pedaling her heart out.  

Yea I can TRI this swim, bike, run thing! 

The complaints about not training enough and the outfit I was going to swim in quickly left my mind. The Tri went great, I made it out of the lake, which is always a good goal.

On Monday this quote came to my inbox from James Clear.

Lawyer Julie Yip-Williams, who was born blind, on the paradoxes of life:

"I do not have the answer to the question of why, at least not now and not in this life. But I do know that there is incredible value in pain and suffering, if you allow yourself to experience it, to cry, to feel sorrow and grief, to hurt. Walk through the fire and you will emerge on the other end, whole and stronger. I promise. You will ultimately find truth and beauty and wisdom and peace. You will understand that nothing lasts forever, not pain, or joy. You will understand that joy cannot exist without sadness. Relief cannot exist without pain. Compassion cannot exist without cruelty. Courage cannot exist without fear. Hope cannot exist without despair. Wisdom cannot exist without suffering. Gratitude cannot exist without deprivation. Paradoxes abound in this life. Living is an exercise in navigating within them.

I was deprived of sight. And yet, that single unfortunate physical condition changed me for the better. Instead of leaving me wallowing in self-pity, it made me more ambitious. It made me more resourceful. It made me smarter. It taught me to ask for help, to not be ashamed of my physical shortcoming. It forced me to be honest with myself and my limitations, and eventually to be honest with others. It taught me strength and resilience."

Source: Letter to her daughters (July 2017) via Letters of Note

If you have a chance to read the whole letter, I highly recommend it. It is so beautiful.  

As you move into this week - Here’s to less wallowing and fear, and to more courage, strength and resilience.

I'm off on a run!​  I hope to see you in the studio this week!