And here's a heads up! The next Fundamentals of Coaching starts October 15th! If you don’t know about the program, please take a look at this, my invitation to you to Fundamentals of Coaching. It’s an experience, not just a program. New coaches, experienced coaches, AND non coaches love this program which is priced so that anyone can participate. It’s something I’ve put my heart into.
I love quoting Rumi, who wrote,
Forget safety.
Live where you fear to live.
Destroy your reputation.
Be notorious.
Then, I too often fall into the current malady of being super risk averse. Ugh.
So, it is with great relish that I report this story.
I live just down the street from Puffers Pond, a favorite place for locals to swim and play on hot summer days. The swim across and back is a perfect little workout for me. But, not this year.
This year, owing to heavy rainfall, the bacteria levels have led to the pond being “closed.” There are signs all around the pond. The Town checks the levels every week and they haven’t fallen. So, I hadn’t gone swimming there all summer. Until. . .
While walking by the pond with my dog last week, a woman was just alighting on my side of the water, clearly having just swam across and about to swim back.
“How’s the water?” I called.
“Glorious,” she replied, and I believed her.
We talked for a minute and agreed it was good for the town to monitor the water where children are apt to play Marco Polo and swallow gulps of bacteria-laden water. She added, “I’ve come swimming twice a day, every day, all summer long. And, I’ve had no problem.”
And, just before she turned to swim back across the pond, she added,
“YOU JUST HAVE TO KEEP YOUR HEAD ABOVE THE WATER.”
What a profound sutra.
After Suki and I got home, I put on my trunks, returned to Puffers and swam over and back.
It’s good to live at least a little dangerously. It’s life affirming. Especially when all you have to do is keep your head up. Rumi knew what he was talking about.
The swim was glorious.
PS: There are times to take the plunge too, to leap into real adventure where we can’t keep our heads above the water. That’s a subject for another day.
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