Rounding it out was Karin's hubby (Mark, a blood cancer survivor) and her adorable six year old Bennett, Cat's hubby Todd the Iron Man and of course Joe. I made a Boston Butt roast that we pulled for meat for BarBQue sandwiches.
If you've never made pulled pork I have a fool proof way to do it. Go to Kevin and Amanda's Blog and just follow the directions. Joe made rockin' Pear Flower drinks. I had my preferred poison, Guiness Draught in the can with the little propeller inside. The guests brought wonderful side dishes. The evening was perfect on the back porch. Bennett and Todd found 20 lost golf balls in the far rough on the golf course; you would have thought Bennett found gold. As dusk fell we saw bats swooping in and out among the trees. Nobody had a mosquito bite because those bats eat lots of mosquitos and are our friends.
As the evening went on, Todd, the IronMan (the real deal), gave me advice on Sunday's event. At first very practical, he told me that no matter how many times I get kicked in the water, to keep my breathing effortless and consistent so that panic doesn't set in. " If you can breathe consistently, you can get through it", he advised. We talked about an Olympic triathlon also as a possible next goal. All the distances are basically doubled versus the Sprint.
Then he imparted the real Pearls of Wisdom: "Don't worry about the event. It really doesn't matter and isn't relevant. The whole point is about the training and the process of getting ready, developing a mindset and lifestyle around fitness, and hanging out with like-minded people who value training and fitness." Those words may seem very simple but they are very impactful. We all hear the old saying about "it's the journey that matters, not the destination". I thought about his words all evening and all day today. After Sunday, what do I take away from this?. The very big thing for me is re-discovering swimming after 40 years. I love exercising in the pool and believe I will continue to swim laps. I had this all bass ackwards: I have been too focused on the "event" and not seeing the bigger picture. Thx, Todd!
We didn't have to call a cab for anybody and nobody had to bunk in a guest room overnight. Bennett went home with his cache of practice golf balls. Nobody had a bat stuck in their hair. Everybody found out that Jed and Gabi are dating (although the Facebook posting of the twosome at a romantic restaurant was a dead give-away). There were no left-overs of the pulled pork.
The countdown continues.
Reba says Goodnight.
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