Why we all need a support boat
...even if we're not swimming the channel!
I first met Nadine when she was re-training to be a teacher. She then went on to be my son’s form tutor and one day he came home and said Ms Bowker hadn’t been in because she was swimming the channel.
Anyone that has ever done teacher training knows how tough it is and Nadine was in her first year of teaching (her NQT year) when she did the swim. I was overawed, not least because when I picked son up from his end of term trip, there she was, the day after her mamouth achievment, counting heads off the school trip bus as if she hadn’t just swum for 12 hours, through the night, to France.
So how did she do it? I couldn’t wait to find out. I love swimming and the silent, meditative, quality is has, and it is one of the things I have really missed during lockdowns. I wild swim a tiny bit; a new year’s dip now and then, for minutes in the icy sea and then the occassional 15-30 minute swim in a river, but not 12 hours! In the cold, dark, deep, busy channel.
Counting to 100 over and over again, having a brother and sister stoic enough to swim with you and then shout at you just when you feel you can’t go on, and training in Lake Windemere are all part of the ‘how’. What really struck me as we talked was the importance of the support. You literally can not swim the channel without a support boat and crew.
And isn’t that a reminder for life?
Yes it was down to Nadine’s physical training and stamina, her mental fortitude and resilience, that she succeeded and made it back to register my son the next day. But she didn’t do it alone. She had trainers, supporters, family, fishermen and friends who did everything from pass her jelly babies to challenge her to go just a bit longer, a bit wilder, a bit stronger in the build up to the swim.
So often we feel like if we are going to achieve something, it needs to be all on our own.
Not so.
We all need a support crew, back up and people cheering us on.
To listen to the conversation click here
If you haven’t found your ‘thing’, the thing that lights you up and gives you energy, get in touch to talk about I can help you with that.
https://www.uswimadventure.com/
Julie Leoni
Coach, author, podcaster, facilitator, Yoga and psychology teacher, learner
I have over 30 years of experience and qualification in various therapeutic and meditation/mindfulness based approaches. I work with change. Some changes we chose, others happen to us. Sometimes we know we want to change but don't know how. Sometimes we don't want to change but external events or people are forcing us to change. The menopause, children leaving home, the end of a relationship or job, becoming a parent, coming out, bereavement are just some of the personal changes I support people with. I also work with people who want to make changes to their life and wider world in response to social issues such as Covid, the climate crisis and racial, sexual and gender inequalities. Times are changing whether we want them to or not and we need to be nimble, agile, curious and open in order to part of the new story emerging. Work with me to get clear on what matters to you, what makes your heart sing and what kind of future you want for yourself and those you love. It is possible to live differently, get in touch to explore how.
