I was resting in our hammock feeling the sun on my skin, the breeze in my face and listening to the sound of birds in the trees. Then, suddenly, it was cold, slippery and loud with the sound of rocks banging and voices yelling, “hurry hard!”
Holy Dinah! It’s curling season already!? Yes, yes it is. So much so that we have already played in not one, but two events and we are on our way to our third! We went to our first event in Oakville where we arrived at the club in 30 C weather in shorts and tank tops, only to slip into our long curling pants and jackets to hit the ice (it was actually kind of refreshing).
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Considering our first event was on the September long weekend, more than usual, curling seemed to creep up on me. I did get some family time over the last few months, along with continuing to work on curling related things such as training, mental prep and even a couple of days on the ice in July.
But all in all, for me, this summer was about getting some rest and recovery time. It wasn’t until well after last curling season that it hit me…we have been going non-stop since winning the Olympic Trials in December of 2013 and the Olympics in February 2014!
So I needed to recharge my batteries and rejuvenate myself. I spent time in the hammock, in the boat, on the river and in the lake. I napped, did yoga, and watched Orange is the New Black. And slipped in the middle was my 40th birthday and a surprise celebration put on by my husband.
In the chaos and crunch of life, we forget sometimes to plug ourselves in and recharge. We forget, or maybe sometimes don’t even realize, that to be our best, we need a full tank.
So that was my goal for the summer – to fill my tank, not deplete it further. But now it’s back to work, back to the daily visits to the curling club and back to almost weekly drop offs at the airport.
I know I am pretty good at using up a lot of energy, sometimes on silly things, so I am always conscious of recharging, of doing my best to take care of myself, so that I have full battery for my family, my friends and my team.
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