This post is not like my usual blog posts, but this movie is not like your usual movie. A friend brought it to my attention earlier this week and it completely stuck with me - partly because I'm chasing a big dream that doesn't involve a big paycheck, but mostly because I think this guy is right on target with his approach to life.
"I try to collect moments. I step back and watch the movie that is my life for just a second, because it's easy to miss the good stuff. The magic, when it happens. I try really hard to realize when it's amazing, and even when it's not."
I've had a lot of amazing moments in my life so far, and I'm thankful for each one. I try to experience life in unique ways. I want to go to lots of different places and see lots of different things, and I try to make that happen. If I get it in my head that I want to see or do something, you can be sure I'll do it, even if it takes me a while to get there. I believe that there is so much out there to see and do, and most of the time, it doesn't take a lot of planning or extra time to do it. Some of the coolest things I've ever done were unplanned, where I was just winging it with friends or family and ended up having an awesome experience. Like when my friend Roger and I veered off our cross-country road trip path just a little to poke around Arches National Park and spent the next five hours in absolute wonder. Or when I chose to do a San Diego to San Fran road trip on Highway One the whole way and saw some phenomenal views. Or when Julie and I visited Venice after Worlds in 2011 and arrived after a day of five different modes of transportation (including a packed bus bumping Euro-techno for a few hours) because it was the cheapest. Or when we'd run out of our apartment in college when it started snowing so we could sled down the middle of the street on a huge hill before the plows got to it. A lot of times, it's just been a matter of saying "yes" to an opportunity, even if you have no idea what road it will lead you down.
I said "yes" to the opportunity of trying out for the Senior National Team back in 2009 and ever since, it's taken me on a wild ride. I've gotten to meet amazing people and see incredible things. As elite athletes, it's easy for us to get caught up in the stress of what we do because we live in a world of unknowns. How will I perform at this race? How am I going to make weight? Who am I going to row with? Will I make the Team this year? How am I going to afford this? Add to that the pressure we put on ourselves and the pressure we sometimes feel from others, and it can be a tough gig. In the middle of it all, I try to step back every so often, look at what I get to do every day, and realize how lucky I am. I try to appreciate the amazingness of my "job" as much as I can. And at the end of the day, I know with certainty that I absolutely, positively love this sport and wouldn't rather be doing anything else. I really believe that "inside, we are all capable of surprising ourselves," and I love seeing that happen.
A few memorable experiences over the past couple years:
Left: The Arches NP Day. Right: When the search for my first sand dollar was finally complete.
This is the life: launching off the docks on a flat water morning in Wisconsin
An unforgettable summer solstice hike up to 6,500 feet in Switzerland at 9:15 pm with friends we'd met in town
Taking in New Zealand by going backpacking and by fulfilling my goal of swimming in the clear blue Pacific.
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