With Spirit Abreast in Penticton

Look at the sky, beautiful lake, mountains, Sandy beach, and all other things around. What are the impressions from each one on you? This picture is representing “Spirit Abreast” the team of dragon boating and all other similar teams who have won the battle over cancer. Now let me share What I see in them with you:
They are as calm, beautiful, and lovely as the lake.
They are as strong, stable, and integrated as the mountains.
They are as deep, generous, and vast in heart as the sky.

 

Our last race of the season

Unfortunately this year I didn’t have the chance to participate neither in our practices nor races as I had a bad shoulder. Even though it was challenging and scary, I really didn’t want to loose the chance of being with them.

 

How did it go?

I went in the boat for the first race, and in that race we got third place. I had a very hard time, out of breathing there was no more energy in my body. Our coach found some other people who were willing to paddle with our team, so she wanted me to have rest for the rest of the day. The second race of that day got the same result, we got third again.( which was a great result) The day after, I felt more energized, and less scared. I did some meditation with thinking about all the beauties around us, including lake, mountains, trees, sky, the birds, and all my teammates in the boat. I was just feeling love towards all of them and I felt a very unique connection between all of us. I could feel the phenomenon of energy shifting inside me.

 

What I learned?

Now that I am looking back, I am noticing a beautiful lesson in this event. In those hard seconds of paddling especially at the end of the race, I found myself thinking what my teammates will think about me if I stop paddling. “Should I continue even though I connot do any more, or should I take a break?“, then I thought “if I continue I will make more trouble for them instead of helping them”. Finally I decided to consider my own need first, which was resting for few seconds, then I considered the need of my team which was winning the race. So after few seconds of breathing I started to put all I had in the last few seconds of the race. In dragon boating every single member in every single moment with every single paddle is important! It is an amazing teamwork. So it is very important to see yourself as a unique individual and at the same time seeing yourself as a very critical cell of a bigger body which can be your team, society, or the whole society of human beings.
Life is a boat of all of us human beings. Paddling with integrity is our responsibility. But first I have to take care of myself and make sure that I am paddling correctly, deep, and strong. First I have to make sure that I am strong enough to be a good member in my team, then I am responsible for keeping an eye on my neighbors in the boat, and the whole goal of the team.
Let’s remember to do whatever we have to do with love and joy, especially with loving ourselves.
Then everything in our boat (life) will go easier and with more flow, and of course with the result that we expect.