High Dive

So I just showered the sticky nasty mess off my body from sweating off my body weight at Champs tonight and I feel the need to blog so here we go...

Well, if you follow this blog you know my girls are on the swim team for the first time and I am head over heels in love with being a swim team parent.  Well, it's because my oldest loves it and well, who doesn't love to see their kiddo happy, right? She loves, it delights me, so I love.  It's a love cycle.  It ends when the money or time runs out but until then, we all love together.  

Tonight was Champs, all city swim meet, held at my beloved university.  It does belong to me as it holds real estate in my heart.  It's true.  And while I can say I did pass my swim test (freshman year, yes I took it that early) in the other cruddy gym pool where the common folk had to swim, I coveted the bigger, nicer, swim team pool my daughter was privileged to swim in tonight.  It's across the path from our beloved basketball coach's office and is decked out in the most beautiful shade of blue I have ever seen.

I'm not sure I prepared my oldest for what would happen.  I relayed how the schedule would go, I would be in the stands, etc.  Important stuff.  But I had never been there before and this swim stuff is new to me.  Well, we entered the room and her words were, "Oh my, mommy!  Look at that high diving board!!"  I just knew if someone let her, she would jump off.  I'm telling you she is part crazy fish and gets the crazy part from her baby daddy's side.

And then, well, I felt a story coming on and here I blog up way past my bedtime...

I had this freshman year roommate.  She was this petite, cute, 6 pack (did she have an 8 pack?  I can't remember but probably..) gymnast that I am proud to know.  She was amazing.  We once pulled an "all nighter" studying for finals together and she took study breaks to do handstands, calf raises, sit ups, fun gumby stuff my freshman 15 couldn't handle.  She was determined and she worked hard.  Really hard.  Well she needed to change her gymnast career and transfer to another school for her major.  She was still interested in sports, so she decided to try out for her new school's diving team.  No experience diving, I tell you.

She would get up before her summer job, before the sun came up, and run miles and miles to train.  She trained all summer.  Come fall, she tried out for the team and she did it.  I wasn't surprised.  She is gifted.  And she married a fellow swimmer and they have four swimming boys.  Truly part fish:)  And she puts her mind to things and does them.  From the history of our friendship, she does them well.  Like every year remembers my birthday with a card.  Wherever she has lived through the years, having one child, then another, then twins, then four boys in the same house (oh my word!) she always remembers.  And I get her cards and I remember each time something she said to me a long time ago.

I remember in college running with her, wanting the motivation to exercise more and to Dear Lord make this extra luggage go away, and asking her, "Can you give me some of your motivation?"  She replied, "Nope.  You have to get some yourself."  And I have never forgotten that.  Ever.  

It is a true thing.  There is no one that can give motivation.  Internal motivation is so much more gratifying and satisfying and permanent than external.  But there is one secret to it: enjoying what you do.  It's easy for me to say that I need to exercise, but I have to actually do it to feel the release of tension, endorphins, satisfaction.  I have to step out in faith to say, "God, I know I'm not perfect, but you are.  Here I am."  And to nurture our relationship and be in his presence to know him more.

And I forget all the time.  But I've got this really great Friend who places these really great people in my path to remind me of his truths.  And I'm thankful and determined.