Escaping the Real World
Well it’s been just over a week since I got home to my actual home. I left on the 27th of June to head to Brisbane for a training camp prior to the Tokyo Paralympic Games and because of the crash and quarantine, I didn’t get home until the 8th of October. That is 3 months and 11 days or 103 days or 148,320 hours where it was all about me.
Now that may sound very selfish and it is, but as an elite athlete getting ready for competition like the Paralympic Games that’s the way it has to be. The training camp was all about being focused on what I had to do, then the games were about my outcome and after the crash it was about getting healthy again. Even quarantine where I was lucky enough to have the company of Gillian, it was still about us doing the 14 days and getting out. Nothing else really to worry about, nothing much to do, although I did have a couple of speaking gigs. Now I’m back in the real world with responsibilities!
This week has been kind of overwhelming. Trying to get back into some sort of normal again even though we are still in lockdown here in Melbourne. But there are others in my life to now concentrate on. It has also been an extremely busy week trying to get to all the appointments that I had to put off because I was late coming home.
I started an online course the last week of quarantine, so I’ve been trying to get some homework done! I’ve had speaking gigs (virtually), trying to get back some of the fitness I lost and trying to catch up (albeit by phone) with people I haven’t spoken to in months, to see how they are. It seemed that this last week was a month, I had so much to do.
We all need an escape from the real world each day and my escape is when I am riding. I don’t have my trike yet but I have been riding virtually on a trainer and it is when I’m definitely in my happy place. Forgetting for just an hour or two all the stuff I have to do. It’s so important to have that one outlet where you can just for a little, to try to relax, refocus and have a mental break from all those tasks which consume our lives.
I think that the last 3 ½ months I have been so lucky to not have the worries of life on my shoulders. Although I’m very happy to be home with Russ and Jack, I also have to remember that by filling every hour each day so that I am overwhelmed won’t help either.
It’s something we all have to remember. If we don’t take some time each day for ourselves, we certainly won’t be any good to anyone else. Don’t feel guilty or self-conscious about getting away from those chores whether they be at work or home, they will be there when you return. But you will return refreshed, refocused and ready to take on the world!
““Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.” ”