Soooo I did not bicycle commute from November 2024 until mid-March. However, I am very committed to bicycle commuting to work for four reasons.
1 – securing day use parking is nigh on impossible and costs $8.
2 – biking takes the same time as driving .
3 – walking takes 35-40 minutes.
4 – bike parking is close to the entrance
The weather has been cold most days. Wet others. And this week on Thursday it was rain, sleet, freezing rain, snow …all with thunderstorms.
Several of my lovely colleagues offered a lift home.
Michel texted me this photo of icicles on the tree in front of our house at 2 pm:
Dark tree branches scratch the grey clouds overhead encased in a thick, clear layer of ice.
He offered a lift. I checked the forecast. It was warming up over the afternoon and I felt confident I’d be ok.
My back out plan was to call my beloved if it was too slippery. The rack was already on the car and it’s a couple kilometers at most from my house. My assessment, low risk.
The road I take home has a network of sewer pipes that spew steam and the road surface is often dryer than the surrounding area. My assessment, low risk.
When I left work after 5pm the ground was wet but not slippery. There were little piles of slush and ice pellets but everything was melting.
I hopped on my bike and road home without incident. I was sure to post a “home safe and sound” video for my concerned colleagues.
It’s nice to be surrounded by so much caring.
I’m feeling good on the bike. Much more steady and stable.
I have bar mitts, a helmet cover and the usual assortment of all weather gear. I’m feeling good about weathering the weather whether I like it or not!
If the pandemic taught us anything is that there are many people around the world who experience anxiety. Some of it is environmental, some of it is physical (hello menopause!), and some of it is work-related. We can get caught up in an anxiety spiral, and let our days be consumed by worry relating to conversations, discoveries, relationships, and so on.
Worry windows offer a measure of control by scheduling a set chunk of time daily to focus solely on worrying. That way, we can park our concerns in that timeslot rather than get on the hamster wheel when we exercise, when we are dropping off to sleep, when we are sitting in a meeting, or commuting to work.
Image shows a black and white cat typing rapidly on a laptop.
Self Magazine published an article describing one person’s adoption of the technique. In the article, they quote a therapist who says: “A worry window gives your anxious thoughts a seat at the table, but not the whole house, so you can acknowledge them without letting them take over your entire day.”
I am the kind of person who likes to schedule my week. I mark out my training sessions in my calendar, I set aside time to keep on top of my paperwork for my consultancy, and I meal plan to avoid food waste and frequent takeout suppers. There’s a whole bunch of other stuff I schedule and it takes the pressure off in trying to remember payments, health care appointments, social gatherings, maintenance checks, pick ups, etc.
So you can see why the idea of scheduling a targetted time to actually focus on whatever is bothering me instead of it drifting in at the worst moments is appealing. It’s like the organizational approach of a brain dump — where you note all the things you have to do and then you weight them by priority. Instead, I schedule a window, set the timer, dump all the worries, and then deal with them.
A worry window allows you to hold space for the issue that’s stressing you. You can focus on it exclusively without interruption. It also gives you the opportunity to deal with it. I like the concept of boundaries — “I don’t have to think about that now” — and I like the idea of containment — “I will think about this for 15 minutes and then have a cup of tea.”
Acknowledging the things that cause us low-grade anxiety is important, and heaven knows, these days there’s a lot to worry about. Setting a worry window is like clearing the snow off your car after a snowstorm. If you need to get to your destination, you need to see where you are going, and a windshield of snow and ice won’t let that happen safely.
I often ask my workshop or meeting participants to take a moment before we start to clear their windshield of the things that could hinder their seeing clearly in the meeting. Maybe they had a stressful conversation with their partner about the division of labour, or their offspring refused to put on what once used to be their favourite shirt, or they ran out of milk for their coffee … and these worries cloud their intention for the day.
Opening the worry window daily for a 15-minute block allows me to acknowledge the things that make me anxious, find a solution (but not always, as sometimes just naming the lurking thing is all that is needed), wipe that metaphorical windshield clean, and go on to deal with the things that matter.
What about you? Would you see worry windows as a helpful strategy? Let us know in the comments.
Another lifeguard chiming in to add to Diane’s post this morning. My name is Mallory and I have been certified as lifeguard for more than fifteen years now but this is my first year consistently working during the day which means a whole new set of programs: Aquafit, water walking, lane swims, parent and tot swims and the occasional rental group.
Diane wrote about her experience teaching the Lifesaving Society Swim to Survive program. This is one of the programs we run at my pool and I currently have four classes each week with new classes starting every three weeks. So I’ve seen a lot of grade three classes this year!
The goal of the program is to equip students with the basic survival skills to survive an unexpected fall into water: falling into water without becoming disoriented, treading or floating in one spot for one minute followed by swimming 50m. In real life, this translates into three steps: (1) don’t panic, (2) look for safety and (3) swim to safety.
We have such a wide variety of swimming skills, everything from students who have never stepped foot in a swimming pool (and sometimes don’t even own a bathing suit!) to students who have completed swimming lessons and can comfortably swim laps without any issues.
On the first day we divide students into three groups based on prior swimming skills. Beginner group is students who have never been in the pool or aren’t able to do any swimming independently. Intermediate group is students who are comfortable in the water, can swim a short distance but would not pass our facilities swim test to go in deep water without a lifejacket. Advanced group is anyone who would pass our facility swim test which is a 20m swim without touching the bottom or struggling. In a typical class, we usually have a percentage split of 40:40:20 meaning that 80% of our students are completing the Swim to Survive standard in a lifejacket or PFD.
In other words, 80% of students would not survive an unexpected fall into deep water unless they were already wearing a PFD or had someone nearby with rescue skills.
While the Swim to Survive program is an excellent start, it simply isn’t enough. A group of 20-30 children coming into the pool for three one-hour lessons with three lifeguards simply isn’t enough to teach them the survival skills they need.
So why do we do it? What can we realistically accomplish in this time?
It’s a potential entry point for future learning. Many of our students have never been to our pool or often to any pool. After their last class, we send home handouts with each student about recreational swim times and swimming lessons. In schools where we know there are economic barriers, we also send home information about subsidies available for these programs.
Skill Building: While we don’t have enough time to teach someone how to swim, we do have time to teach certain lifesaving skills such as how to float on your back and call for help or how to kick your legs to help you move in the water.
Knowledge Building: We also build a lot of knowledge into the program. Simple things such as how to put on a lifejacket or know if it fits you properly or how to safely jump into the water. We also put a large emphasis on wearing lifejackets when we know we are going to be near water, such as anytime we are on a boat or a dock.
Don’t Panic! For beginner swimmers, this is the most important skill they are going to learn. Wearing a PFD, being able to independently enter deep water and float without panicking is often as far as they can get in this program and that alone can be a lifesaving skill!
I have a new gig teaching a class of swim-to survive-students. It is offered by a local school board to third graders in at least some of their schools. The program recently restarted after being stopped during the COVID lockdowns.
Students get three one-hour lessons. There are about 12 kids per instructor. That’s a very high ratio to supervise. My regular learn to swim classes have between five and eight students, depending on the age and skills.
My group all needs lifejackets because none can swim even half a length of the pool. Some of them are afraid to put their faces in the water.
It’s not enough! We live in a country with a lot of lakes and rivers. Even if these kids never leave the city, there are plenty of opportunities to get into trouble in one of our rivers or ponds, or the canal. Many of these kids are newer immigrants, or from low-income families. Private swimming lessons may not be an option for them.
I’m happy I can give these kids the basics of a few survival skills, but what happens if they don’t have access to a lifejacket except during these lessons?
I feel like we are failing these students, as we have failed to provide equitable access and opportunities for water safety and sport so many poor and visible minority kids for generations.
Three children in red lifejackets in a swimming pool. Adobe stock photo.
Yesterday the home I lived in for 28 years was sold. I will likely never call another place home for as long.
In the past three years, I have moved three times, finally landing where I am now just over two years ago. Still, this place I am now, while it is nice, it is not home. Knowing that I will have to move again, I have resisted many elements of settling in-ness. Because, you know, that would just be more stuff to move. For example, I don’t have measuring cups. Or serving bowls or platters. I don’t have a lasagna dish. Or obscure spices for Ottolenghi’s complicated dishes. Things that used to make me feel like a grown up. A person who has groups of friends over for dinner. Plus, given the current state of affairs here in the United States, where I’ve lived for more than 30 years, I can’t help wondering if I should move home to Canada. Or elsewhere.
All this is in direct conflict with my strong nesting inclinations.
So, how do I find ground, when I have no nest? Okay—that’s a complicated visual. Nests are high in trees. The ground is, well, far below. Still, you get the picture of settling, of nestling after a long flight. Parts of me feel in constant flight and they are tired.
Nest in a pine tree by Luke Brugger on Unsplash
Getting into my body offers my most reliable respite—running, hiking, skiing, biking, yoga, dancing, crossfit, pilates and so on. Of all of these, running outside offers me the most solace. With each step, the earth beneath my feet brings me home to my very physical existence.
For that moment of footfall, I land. Rest my wings. Find ground. Come home to my body. May that be enough. For now.
I’m starting April while on a school storytelling tour with my friend Catherine (not blogger Catherine, a whole other marvellous Catherine) so the month is truly off to a good start.
Storytelling is great for my mental health and the fact that I am taking a break from my usual routine AND hanging out with a dear friend compounds the positive effects.
And this tour has been good for my physical health too because Catherine is a big proponent of finding energy by getting outdoors. So there have already been several times when her choice to go for a walk has shifted me into a more active rest mode after a busy day instead of just sitting around.
(To be clear, there are times when sitting around would be the right thing to do but in this case the walk felt waaaaaaaay better.)
Since the month is starting on such a positive note I have decided to add more positive health elements.
1. I found out yesterday that April is Afternoon Tea Month which is definitely a made-up kind of commemoration but as an avid maker-up-of-things, I’m here for it.
I’m going to celebrate by taking an afternoon tea break every day.
I can hear my sisters’ voices as I write that, “Chris, don’t you already drink tea every afternoon?”
And the answer is “Of course I do!”
But my April plan to to focus on the ritual of it, the making of the tea, the clearing of mental space, the sitting down to drink it.
This isn’t going to be a ‘drink tea at my desk while working’ kind of thing, it’s going to be an actual break in my afternoon.
One of my favourite cups for tea (a gift from my friend Mary) Image description: a cup of tea sitting on a small mat on my table with my ebook slightly out of focus in the background. My cup has a blue octopus on the side (only part of it is visible) and it has an ice cream cone held in one of its tentacles.
So that’s a small April addition for my mental health, now on to my physical health.
2) I mentioned last week that I am following the Active April calendar so that is staying part of the plan but I am also going to really commit to evening yoga (again!) and I have made a YouTube playlist to choose from each day.
And since I know sometimes get stuck in the decision making process, I am giving myself the default that if I can’t pick one, I have to choose the video immediately after the one from the night before.
I have often done evening yoga before and I throughly enjoy it when I do but I have gotten out of the habit so this is as good a time as any to get started again.
The International Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31) is dedicated to honouring transgender people and raising awareness of the discrimination faced by that community worldwide while celebrating their contributions to society.
This day seems especially important this year as trans rights are under attack at various levels in the United States.
Here’s some of our past posts on the theme of trans Inclusion in sports:
I’ve written my own account of coming to not mind sweating as part of becoming an adult-onset athlete. See Gonna Make You Sweat.
So what’s the scoop with women’s all-over deodorants? Are they a problem? (Aside from me being annoyed by the ads for them that are taking over my newsfeed.)
It’s complicated. Of course it is.
I mean on the one hand, if these products meet a need and they get more women to feel comfortable exercising, that’s a good thing.
On the other, if they contribute to a culture of shame associated with having a woman’s body, that’s less good.
I remember in high school when they started marketing scented sprays for “female personal hygiene.” I think they still market scented tampons and pads though I’m past that stage of life. There is this idea that women’s bodies are particularly stinky and that women ought to do something about it.
Add exercise and sweat to the mix and it gets worse. There are lots of articles out there about boob sweat, for instance. See How to Survive Boob Sweat Season. You can even buy underboob sweat absorbing pads. And then there’s crotch sweat, vagina sweat, or between-the-legs sweat.
From the article: “Olivia Stober, a 26-year-old artist living in San Diego, said she had first started seeing ads for Secret Whole Body deodorant on YouTube earlier this year. She took particular issue with one ad that showed a montage of women exercising and hiking that began: “Want to know a secret? More than just my armpits stink.”
“I’m just like, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Ms. Stober said in an interview. “God forbid we go up for a hike and then smell like we have gone for a hike, right?”
In response, she created a TikTok video lamenting the commercial.
“They will invent something new for women to be ashamed of until the end of time,” Ms. Stober said in the clip. “We will never be free from those shackles I fear.”
Ms. Stober said that as a woman in her mid-20s, she feels confident in her decision to eschew whole body deodorant, but that may not be the case for other women and girls. She was particularly worried about tweens and teens hearing about the products and deciding there was something wrong with them that they needed to fix.
“You have a body, and you’re allowed to smell like you have a body,” she said.”
How about you? What do you think about women’s whole body deodorant? Do you agree with the worries or are you a fan?
April is almost here, and I’m in need of a refresh. Since January 20, I’ve felt angry, heartsick, afraid, overwhelmed, and oh so tired. And I see these same feelings in the faces and actions of my friends, family and community. Waiting around for others to do something about it isn’t helping. So, I’ve decided to take a page from the self-care playbooks and do something. Here are a few tips, along with the ways I’m following them. Feel free to join me or pick your own set of tips and invent a plan. And let us know what you’re up to, if you’re so inclined.
Tip #1:Get physical– plan some exercise, with friends or on your own.
One plan I have is to get a lot of steps in on Saturday, April 5 at the Hands Off! Massachusetts Protest Rally in Boston. It’s part of nationwide protests in the US. You can find more info here. I’ll either take public transport or ride my bike with my friend Norah to meet others and gather on the Boston Common. Then we march to City Hall Plaza for speakers. It’ll feel good to stretch my legs and work on taking back our democracy.
Tip #2: Get creative– try something new or familiar that stimulates your imagination, like art or crafts or poetry.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper protest rally without some good signs. I’m definitely planning on making some of my own. The Hands Off folks have provided lots of signs to print, like these:
Hands Off Science!Hands Off LGBTQ+ Rights!Hands Off Cancer Research!
These are great. But I also love ones that reflect our own individuality and perspective in the face of greed and cruelty.
IKEA has better cabinetsFOR SALE: DemocracyThe classic: It’s so bad, even introverts are here!
Someone has even gone to the trouble of creating a google spreadsheet with sign slogan ideas. My current favorite is “Does this Ass Make My Country Look Small (with pic of Trump). Check them add and feel free to add your own spin.
Tip #3: Get social– join friends or family or your community in some common endeavor, whether it is for entertainment or activism.
Lots of people I know are posting about going to these rallies in their hometowns. I’ll be amplifying this message on my social media, and also talking it up in my friend and community groups. And come Saturday, I’ll be meeting thousands of new friends in my town, with whom I have a very important purpose in common: saving our country from fascism. Not that one protest will do the trick, but it’s a step (or in this case, thousands of steps) in the right direction.
Tip #4: Get outside– take some time to immerse yourself in nature; this can include anything from urban parks to local woods.
We’ll be meeting at the Boston Common on Saturday morning around 11am, which is located outside. The Parkman Bandstand, our meeting point, is surrounded by lovely trees bushes and grasses. Honestly, it won’t look like this in April, but here’s a nice summery pic:
Parkman Bandstand on te Boston Common in summer. Worth visiting this week, too.
Tip #5: Get clear about boundaries– say no to the demands or conditions that you know are harmful to your well-being and that of others.
Oh, there will be lots of saying no in my future, and in all our futures.
No to illegal firings of federal and state employees working to support health, education, safety, and all the crucial everyday functions of our government.
No to bellicose threats to other countries with whom we’ve shared supportive and beneficial relationships with for decades and decades.
No to shutting down HIV clinics around the world, cancer clinical trials, measles and other vaccine education, the department o frigging education, and oh, the federal court system.
No to kidnapping students and holding them illegally, for no reason other than hate and intimidation.
Just no. Hands off, you bozos!
You know what? I already feel a little bit better. See, my self-care plan is starting to work. Of course, there’s actual work to do, and a lot of it, and for a sustained period. But I’ve got a plan. And I hope you’ll make one, too.
