Today I did four laps of the February strength circuit and paddled my boat for 95 minutes. It was a touring boat sort of day--overcast, low 40s, chilly north wind--but I sucked it up, threw on some extra layers, and paddled the surf ski anyway, because the weather is supposed to get worse in the next few days. I wore pogies today for the first time in several weeks.
In my "vocational" life I am a woodworker. A friend of mine showed me this TV news piece on a friend of his, a woodworker in Virginia:
http://www.fox2127.com/story/16700463/john-carlins-virginia-talented-local-woodworker
Mr. Giguere articulates a couple of points I have long considered relevant to my training and to life in general. At about the 1:25 mark, Giguere says "Work is work, but I don't see it as separate from my life. It's all my life." This is how I think of my woodworking, along with paddling and everything else I do: simply as aspects of a rich, satisfying life. Each day that I manage to paddle my boat, work in my workshop, eat three good meals, spend time with my wife, pet our dog, check in with my mother, pet her dog, and read a book is a pretty darn good day as far as I'm concerned.
Giguere also mentions technique and body mechanics as important parts of what he does. All woodworking tools work best when used with proper technique, but this is especially so in the Japanese style of woodworking in which Giguere specializes (and which I'm trying to learn more about myself). I believe that if I strive for technical precision in all the other things I do, it will carry over into my kayak racing.
I'll probably have more to say on this theme by and by, but this video is worth noting now because it really resonates with me.
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