1. Spring has arrived and all the annuals in my garden are blossoming! 2. Breakfast with KK at Junipa’s (Hobart Centre). 3. Supper with my bestie at Red Rabbit. 4. Driving home from work with my sunroof open. 5. Emma after her visit to the spa. 6. Finding my childhood favourite chips: Kreols! 7. Mirrors on wall of friend’s house. 8. Spontaneous pizza take-out – where else but Andiccio. 9. Pedi #happyfeet
I happened to attend a breakfast recently where 2010 Australian Masterchef runner-up, Callum Hann, was the guest.
Over cups of coffee and way too much chocolate, Callum did a cooking presentation to the crowd, wowing us with his knowledge of desserts and quirky local jokes.
His presentation focussed on a brief overview of what life has been like since the competition and his travels around the world. But it was his introduction that really made an impact on me.
Callum described how it was only after the competition when he watched re-runs of the show that he noticed that he had a lisp. I was gobsmacked! For those who may or may not remember Callum, the guy has a serious lisp! He went on to add that he also realised that he made weird and funny facial expressions when he got nervous. Seriously? How could he not know this? His face jumps all over the place!
But it left me wondering. Is there something about myself or something that I did that I was not aware of? Did I have a funny twitch? Did I make weird facial expressions? Or worse, a lisp! What if I have a lisp and cannot hear myself? Are there things I just don’t want to see?
I’ve sometimes watched my shadow when I run. I don’t have a graceful, relaxed look about my pace. I have caught myself slouching way too much during the day at my desk. My posture is terrible. And since primary school, I’ve also hated my knees. *knock knees will never be cool, unless I appear in an episode of Glee*.
Schucks, these are just things at the top of my head. What about the things I don’t see?
Wait… Maybe it’s a good thing I don’t have an idea what else is quirky/weird/silly about myself. I already tend to give all the negative aspects of my life way too much attention. It’s better if I didn’t have anything more to stress about.
But for now, if I do lisp, please let me know!
(Google Images: Morgan deBoer)
Staring in awe at the London 2012 Olympic gold and silver medallists at a function recently, I was struck by the fact that they are just ordinary people with an extraordinary drive and passion for their sport.
In between my bacon and eggs and the hundreds of other people who had arrived to catch a glimpse of the heroes, I whipped out my blog book *nerd alert* and took notes as the MC was interviewing them.
In front of me sat Cameron van der Burgh, Chad Le Clos, Caster Semenya and the four rowers John Smith, Matthew Brittan, Sizwe Ndlovu and James Thompson. Here are some of my favourite snippets I managed to write down:
Each and every one of them had that one person in their lives who believed in them. For Caster it was Maria Motola, for Chad, his dad Bert, for rower Sizwe Ndlovu, his headmaster. It’s that one person who never gave up on them and believed in them to the end. It’s important in life to find that person who sees your talent, sees your potential and is with you right until the end.
The sacrifices made are enormous! They are not normal people with normal 9 – 5 lives. They have to watch what they eat and drink, especially the four rowers who needed to ensure they remained at the lightweight under 70kgs level or else they would be disqualified. There is no time for dating, for partying, for holidays or even spending quality time with loved ones. You cannot let your guard down because youngsters are watching you as role models. There is a lot of pressure.
The medallists trained every single day, 7 days a week with every 5th Sunday off. 48 weeks of the year, going full ball and flat out. Most of their days involve training twice a day with gym workouts in-between and physio or yoga or pilates squeezed in there somewhere too. In the words of the rower John Smith, “We trained like slaves but raced like kings”. *This oke was my fav!* After 4 years of hard, dedicated training, it’s all over in a matter of seconds. If you don’t get your medal, it all starts over again.
Best of all is when each of them were asked what they did in their spare time, they all said one thing: Sleep! I guess at least I have one thing in common with them.
I do not have any patience. Fact!
After starting my eating plan (diet is a dirty word!) at the end of July, I expected to see the weight dropping off, especially since I had stuck to the rules, denied myself chips and chuckles and ensured I kept my daily salads exciting and fresh.
At my last appointment with Melanie, my dietitian, I complained bitterly. It’s really disheartening to see others around me losing 1kg a week and making it look so easy. I’m not even able to lose 1kg a month! 
I am busting myself at gym with my personal trainer, I’ve added in a spinning class. I have also tried to keep up the running training. But it’s starting to get to me.
She listened and then methodically went through my daily eating schedule and made one or two adjustments. Then she sat back and smiled and said, “Bron, a watched scale doesn’t drop. Stop stressing…”.
I think if anything, sticking to a strict eating plan is teaching me more about patience than anything else. I’m okay with the discipline. I’m good with my portion sizes. In fact, I even enjoy the gym and watching how hard I can push myself.
But once again, it’s never about the physical, it’s always what’s going on in my head and keeping that in check. It’s about calming down and keeping at it. It’s constantly reminding myself that I will lose weight and that I am doing everything right.
I know this! If anything, my running training has always taught me this. It doesn’t just happen overnight. It’s the hard work that pays off. Eventually.
Patience Bron.
Keeping up with the Walkers... 