My playpen is gone, now what?!?

To be more exact, my playpen got frozen over night! This is exactly how the lake looks like this morning, frozen and covered with snow… They say a front of arctic blast hit us, no rowing for me obviously. So, now what?!?

I rapidly went through my options. Why not take it easy today, drink my coffee and read my book in bed, or surf the net… Sounds good, but I already did that yesterday, promising that I will exercise today. So, time to get reacquainted with my erg (rowing machine)… I have been avoiding even looking at it: no water, no trees, no sun sparkles over the water… rowing outside is the thing for me! Seems that I will have to get over this if I want to stay in a decent shape. Armed with this determination I got dressed in my summer (!) rowing outfit, raised all the blinds so I could see the (snow-covered) outdoors, and sat on the erg. I set a goal of 30 min and decided I will do it no matter how bad it feels to me. I loaded my favorite CD to get me going and had to turn up the volume to be able to hear it over the machine’s fan. “When is the last time I blasted music I love?” I thought. Using the erg always felt hard to me, the movement seems awkward and abrupt, never as fluid as when rowing, well, on water. However, at some point this morning, it got easier and I started feeling “the flow”, so even decided to go over my initial goal for another 10 min. I did a mental tally: staying active, burning calories – check! doing something related to rowing – check! finally blasting my favorite music – check! Getting my thinking time in?... check! It must have been, because after erg-ing for a while, the thought about what to do when having to compromise something you love for something more practical if the external conditions are against you, came to me.


Make the best of it! If I must adapt and make some concessions compared to the ideal, I must find a way in which the benefits could balance, maybe even outweigh, the inconvenience. Think of the current economic situation, many of us will have to do it. Maybe will have to change or lose jobs, move, try something we did not in a long time, or maybe never did. It is very possible that we will discover some new benefits and maybe learn something new. I was lucky to row for many years in Atlanta. Even if the temperature was below freezing, the water never froze, so as I became more confident going out all by self, I was able to row with no interruptions through the winter, if willing to be less comfortable, wearing many layers and using my frozen hands most of the time. But in my new place of residence, the mighty nature has different plans for me. So, I am already thinking “what if this arctic blast lasts?” Maybe I will go ice skating, I did not do that in a long time, or maybe I’ll check on that rumor that they rent cross-country skiing equipment in the park. No, I do not know how to do that, but maybe this snow is a divine kick for me to learn.