The Beauty in Experiences | October 2022 Edition

I feel almost every competitive student-athlete has experienced a sense of uncertainty and or a feeling that you can’t separate that is either fear, nervousness, or excitement. It could be because of how you want your last season, as a senior, to end or what aspirations you wish to accomplish. On top of that, if you are an ambitious person like I am, you are trying to incorporate your faith into the mix. Having my Presbyterian faith feels like it has been placed on the back burner while sports and focusing on doing well in school are top priorities along with family; however, I would like to change that through sharing our stories and experiences.

I recently had the privilege to travel to London for my fall break. A few days before I left, I met with my Senior Speech Advisor and dear friend. For a senior at my school to graduate, they not only need x amount of credits & community service hours but also are required to deliver a 1,000 to 2,000-word speech in front of the entire upper school, which is around 325 people. Before we present, we work with our speech advisor, which the senior selects, who will also introduce that individual to the audience. I don’t want to spoil anything in case there are a few readers from my school, however, I went into my London trip thinking of how I want to convey my experiences.

Now, I feel I must share with you my London experience, my reflection on how my progress toward my swimming goals is coming along, and what I would like to do with the remaining time I have left as a teammate and captain of my high school’s swim team.

I don’t know if people have expectations of a country when visiting, however, I didn't, which was kind of nice since I traveled there with a mindset of carpe diem, (as well as an open mind & heart) thus I couldn’t be disappointed. Something that stood out was my interactions with British people, they were all so friendly, kind, and polite; in some ways, something that seemed foreign given our more inward attitude here in Arizona… and these are qualities of mine that I would like to further enhance. Galatians 6:10, says “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” There is no set time or opportunity when we should be kind, for there is always a welcoming place for good. Its appearance can be shown as hospitality, compassion, friendliness, support, and much more.

Journeying back a little bit, I was tasked to compile a list of activities and organize them into a schedule. Though the schedule going into the trip was determined, that was not the case when we arrived. Every day, I had it listed neatly with activities and left either the morning or afternoon free to do whatever we would like. Well, a few trips that required a car were asked to be canceled, another tour was added, and a no-show reservation, because we couldn’t get cell reception (later I did contact them to apologize), which created a very memorable and impactful trip. Every other day seemed to be free and spur of the moment, for the majority of the time, we did things we had already done but explored more. I highly recommend taking the finance tour if possible because you see parts of London that aren’t very touristy, which is extremely nice! I am also very blessed and fortunate to have scheduled a Celeris UK boot fitting in the studio, which is roughly an hour outside the city. I got to see a bit of England’s countryside and man was it breathtaking. On the spot, since it was hard to hail a taxi, and cell reception wasn’t working for our phones, we decided to walk to a close restaurant in the village town. We walked over two streams, one of which was a beautiful old stone bridge (not sure if it was a break of cobblestone because of the coloring) and a wooden one, and a dirt path surrounded by eight to eight feet tall plants. The sky was a richer blue than the sky in Arizona and there was a nice slight breeze.

Photo from the wooden bridge in Cobham, UK

Our lives can be so busy, we may fall into patterns and occasionally, they can become quite dull. At the time, I understood why lots of wealthy people escape to the countryside from the busy city of London, but I never truly appreciated it until I was there. Jumping around in the bible, it says in David 23:1-3, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”

Before I find myself getting tired of the busy pattern of life, I will carve out time to take on new opportunities. For instance, take friends to hike a trail in a new area, experience local activities going on in my neighborhood or a nearby one, save up to try new restaurants, or invite people to my house over for afternoon tea. It is needed and healthy to take a step back to reset.

I was looking forward to London helping me take a step back and reevaluate myself. And I did just that, I will have to readjust my goals, but I will not back down on what I said I would do this season. I will continue to build my team up and try to be the best version of myself, even if it may look different at times. I will hold myself accountable, and I hope, so do you. On this blog, it is my hope that you find that we help and build each other up, support one another, and have a place to just talk among other athletes.