Thursday, April 10, 2008

Rowing parallels life


It was a great evening for rowing last night. We had a team of six rowers and got up to a good speed of 6 knots with the wind and the tide. It's much easier to row with the current than against it. And when the seas get choppy, it helps not to dig in too deep or you may not be able to get your oar out of the water for the next stroke.

It's interesting how rowing parallels life. You can exert a lot of effort and never get far by yourself because the elements are against you. But if you have a good coxswain and a good team, you just might be able to get on a different course and work together to make some headway. And just like in rowing, in order to succeed at something in life you need to put yourself in the race.

I'm grateful today for:
  • Learning that team work is important
  • Not always going with the flow
  • Having a choice to drift or steer
  • Knowing that while responding to another, I need to maintain my own center of gravity
  • The headwinds that require strength and endurance
It's a great art, is rowing. It's the finest art there is. It's a symphony of motion. And when you're rowing well, why it's nearing perfection- And when you reach perfection, you're touching the divine. It touches the you of you's which is your soul. -George Pocock

5 comments:

  1. Beautiful picture. I love boating, canoeing and being on the water...even though I can't swim. So peaceful.

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  2. what a nice parallel... i can actually picture it.

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  3. Yes syd that is a great analogy, the more you think about it the more it makes sence.
    I have often thought of myself rowing a boat and my HP steering it, occasionally I try and steer the boat but I more often than not go the wrong way then!

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  4. I respond well to analogies..they make sense to me. So thanks Syd.

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