I went to my reflection spot today, located at the gazebo on the Westhampton Lake.
All I could think was “Spring. YES! Finally!”
Although it was wet, and my friends and I missed the annual Monument Avenue “Easter On Parade” due to the weather, it is still warm. We are thankful. (We aren’t sure why it is called the “Easter On Parade”. The excessive preposition use still bothers us.)
I’m just so happy that it is warm and that we are looking forward to mid-60s weather. I am confident that we will not have a surprise blizzard anytime soon. I can sit at this gazebo without shivering. It is such a relaxing and refreshing feeling to not shiver just by being outdoors. I cannot stop sneezing, but that is okay because allergies mean that spring is here to stay!
I just started my spring season of track and it was really frustrating to deal with the upper 30s weather the past couple weeks. It is very, very difficult to pole vault outdoors when it is cold and windy. By difficult, I mean dangerous and panic-inducing. I did horribly last weekend at William and Mary, which nearly killed my confidence completely. Before leaving the meet, I cursed the sky for producing such horrible weather.
This weekend was a different story. We held our annual home meet, the “Fred Hardy Invitational” at Richmond. The weather was absolutely beautiful. It was sunny, warm, and only slightly windy. I love when I am at a meet and it just feels fun. It was like I was at a picnic with a bunch of pole vaulters. Another thing that I enjoyed was the electronic/dubstep music being played the entire time I competed. I just had so much fun, and I think that I can speak for the rest of my team as well.
One thing that caught my eye was how absolutely beautiful our stadium is. We practice there every morning at 7:30am, and it just is not the same then. I think we all take for granted how beautiful the place is. On Friday/Saturday this weekend our entire campus was swarming with track athletes from all over. I overheard “This campus is so beautiful”, “These people are so lucky”, and “Where’s the nearest ATM?” from many visiting athletes.
Sitting at my reflection spot brings up memories from this weekend. I need to stop taking for granted the beauty of my surroundings. I think that college students in general boil down all of their emotions to either “Stressed” and/or “Tired.” There are other feelings out there. It is good to take a break and absorb what is happening in your environment.
In moments where I feel like I am repeatedly expressing feelings of stress or exhaustion, I will try to be more open-minded and positive. Yes, I get very nervous and stressed before meets, but I can control how I perceive my experiences. When I entered the meet this weekend, all I could think was “Don’t screw up again.” I changed my disposition once I stepped outside of my mindset and realized how great everything was around me. That’s when it became fun.
I think that it is important to reset your mind, preferably in nature, when it gets stuck in the “I’m stressed” rut. There is a reason why they call it “Looking on the bright side.” It helps if it’s sunny and warm, but it can be wet and dreary as it is now. Everybody 🙂 !