“Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Matthew 25:13
“I’ve looked in the mirror. My world’s getting clearer. So, wait for me this time.” Lyrics from the song “Time” by Chantal Kreviazuk, 2002
Getting Back in the Pool Again
Earlier this week, I was finally able to get back in the pool again for the first time since the pandemic first hit in March 2020 and resume my passion for swimming laps. This was my second “light of hope” following the initial joy and relief of getting my COVID-19 vaccine shots last month. Swimming laps has always energized me since having successful replacement hip surgery in June 2012 but it represents so much more about who I am and what I’ve learned living through this global pandemic.
Before COVID-19, I would always find creative excuses for not swimming my laps on any given day, often uttering phrases to myself like “The water in the pool is too cold today”; “It’s raining outside”; “I’m too tired because I didn’t get enough of sleep last night”; or my typical default excuse, “I’ll just do my laps tomorrow”. That book of excuses has a long history to it and has applied not only to the task of swimming my laps or whatever exercise regimen I was trying to adhere to at that moment in my life but to so many other things that I had longed to do, wanted to do, but had failed to do. It brings to mind that great line from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans (7:15) “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
Swimming laps was never really an option for me during most of the pandemic as my health club closed down for 6 months and even when some restrictions were lifted back in November, I had to ask myself very honestly whether I really felt safe even with all of the new protocols in place. But in a very profound way, I think many of us have become much more aware of our own mortality during this pandemic and recognize more than ever that time really is one of the most precious gifts God has given to each of us, a sentiment captured so poignantly in the lyrics of a beautiful song called “Time” by Chantal Kreviazuk:
Time, where did you go? Why did you leave me here alone? Wait, don’t go so fast. I’m missing the moments as they pass.
Some Questions to Reflect on for the Post Pandemic Future
Today marked the third time in the past week where I’ve jumped back in the pool and it’s getting better and better with each experience. My pace is slower for sure due to my inactivity during the pandemic and I have only been able to swim up to 20 laps at a time versus my pre-pandemic routine of 36 laps, but I am just super grateful at this moment in my life that I can once again safely do something I love that makes me very happy and fulfilled. Scripture reminds us that “you do not know the day or the hour” when the Lord will call us home. To me, it’s a timely reminder to not put off until tomorrow all of the wonderful things I can still do today because if there is one thing we have painfully learned during the pandemic it is that tomorrow is promised to no one.
So, what about you, have you found yourself mulling through some key questions that center on that precious gift of time itself?
- Are there some meaningful things you have learned during the pandemic that might change the way you look at your life and career in a post pandemic future?
- Are there specific things you’ve been wanting to do but haven’t been able to do both before and during the pandemic?
- Is there a new career pivot you have been wanting to pursue or a different opportunity you could consider at your current company?
- Are there any relationships that you would like to focus on at home or at work?
- Are there people you’ve been meaning to forgive or whom you would like to reach out to and ask them for forgiveness for something you may have said or done?
- Are there any roadblocks that keep getting in the way of what you want to do, of where you want to go, or what you would like to achieve?
Whatever you may have learned during your pandemic experience and may want to take specific action on, I know that you can do it and I’ll be cheering you on and ready to help in any way I can. It’s often said that the first step you take is the most important step until you take the next step, and then the one after that. Are you ready to take your next step? For me, my next step is to get back in the pool again tomorrow morning bright and early. No more excuses but just another step on my way to getting back to 36 laps. I can’t wait! 🏊😎🙏🏼
Wishing my fellow coaches, clients, colleagues, and friends the gift of God’s abundant blessings,
Dr. K
