I clearly am still learning lesson no 1 from last week’s blog. This week has been particularly tough in terms of workload as well as emotionally. On Wednesday I was too tired to get up and do my recovery swim session, I opted to sleep and try and process some very sad news that a good friend of mine from school, who has been battling with cancer for over 5 years had reached the end of his fight in terms of medical options. The only hope we have left for him is faith in God’s miraculous healing power.
I had an afternoon of back to back patients and knew that gym would not be easy. It turned out to be a good call as I had had a late night on Tuesday and Wednesday and another full day on Thursday. My afternoon sprint session turned out to be a very frustrating one for me and i promptly forgot everything I had apparently learnt from last week’s session. I got out the pool incredibly frustrated and grumpy and knew I was over reacting.
I was tired, emotional and had not had enough time out for me or me and God. I was gently reminded that this is life. We all have our good days and bad days and it’s ok to have a bad one, I need to give myself a little more grace. Something I don’t think any of us find easy to do. It is much easier to have grace for others, than grace for myself.
The rest of the week was just as busy, but there had been a shift in my outlook thanks to some encouraging words and gestures from some friends, I had a fun rehab session on Friday followed by a recovery massage and Epson salt bath- the perfect recovery day after a long week. Saturday I rested from training and did an amazing 5km sea swim this morning with my faithful buddy paddling her ski next to me to keep me safe and on target! It was so good to be back in the water swimming for a longer period with a loyal mate next to me who believes in my dream enough to sacrifice her morning to come and assist me in pursuing mine.
This is a lifelong lesson for me
This morning at church the talk was on changing the city through one life at a time and mostly what I picked up again from it, was grace. God’s grace for us is the only way we get to have grace for others. This is a lifelong lesson for me, I certainly hope that this week, even if my sprint session is frustrating or unattainable, I will give myself a little more grace, taking into consideration the perspective of where I have come from, where I am going and other people in way worse circumstances than my own.