Faith in the future, thanks for the past.

During these weeks we have maintained a tighter hold on the discipline of our daily life that is far from normal these days, as well as the triathlon training. It is a positive and hopeful thing to be going on with training, even though so many events have been cancelled of postponed and nothing can be done about that. We are determined to be ready when the day does come and come it will eventually. 

We must still hold our peace for the time being I feel, because I can see that we are getting to the point, or we appear to be, where governmental faces on TV are starting to talk about unlocking the lock down. Just so long as that is not done too soon and it causes the horror of a new wave of infections. What a waste that would be of all the hard work and risk the NHS has been taking for us.

Steve and I have always had a firmly held lifestyle. We have lived a sporting life for a very long time and actually not much has changed on that front in a way. What is denied us right now is the swimming and for me anyway it is still too cold for sea swimming. I am not as young as I was and don’t take kindly to being very cold, even wearing a wet suit. Other than that our running and biking is improved if anything, simply by strength of will.  This is plague time hard enough without risking loss of form by sinking into depression and losing everything that we have worked for.

Just to make a point; once I have done my training each day, that takes most of the morning with all the extra core strength and balance classes, I do not call it a day and slob out. I bath, do something with my hair put on a bit of a face though ‘not ready for my close up’ and dress as if I were going out, or meeting friends for a meal. I have all the washing and ironing up to date and I am avoiding throwing on sweat pants and a sloppy top.

 After all that, I have the added discipline of writing my diary blog whether or not anybody reads it. I would like to think that I might add a little motivation for those who are struggling to keep their heads on straight. I used the write my diary page for Friday and Monday but Steve suggested that it would keep MY brain occupied if I wrote for an hour or so every day and that it may help a few others too.

The only thing I do find a bit of a pain is the wait to get online to order shopping; that can be anything up to an hour and it is hard to be doing something constructive at the same time and watching the tiny little van move slowly along the line telling me that there are 3700 in front of me and my wait will be 59 minutes. 

One thing I have found that I can do and still be close enough to see the little van move on the computer screen is to set up a dozen mixed threads in readiness for my daily sewing task. Yes; yet another thing that I have a rule about… I must do at least a couple of threads a day on my project. I have shortened the sleeves of a jacket that have been too long for about ten years! I am embellishing the cuff end of the sleeves with some free embroidery.

I like to keep a piece of embroidery on the go and have loads of shirts, trousers, and skirts that I have worked on. It is not of any great quality and is quite mad but I like it and it is for me to hold part of my past. My mum was a marvellous needle woman and I am but a pale shadow of her. I know what a sad old witch I am. It is relaxing though, even though I have set myself this task at a very busy time. Yet, I seem to be sleeping better, maybe the balance between manically working and then force fed relaxation is a science that more people should try. Or not.