Today's The Day

Anchoring in today to #beresilient with the word

Predictability 

Every April. Like clock work the "phenomena" happens. There's 24-48 hours of chaos on our patio. Fluttering. Chirping. Wild Abandonment. Excitement. Awe. Scrambling for position. Jockeying for nectar.

The hummingbirds are swarming. They arrive annually in April on their journey back to Central Texas in a swarm. Calculated. Planned. Carefully timed. We know they'll show up. A scout appears and within a week, word is out and they all stop for their annual refueling. We're prepared. Homemade nectar made, feeders hung, sugar shots suspended in expectancy. They're coming. We know they'll be here.

Predictability.

Time, patterns, seasons - they all continue to roll on. There is a picture much greater than us, and when the world seems to come to an abrupt halt, and time stands still while unpredictability, uncertainty and a side helping of fear set in, they still show up. The steadfastness and predictability executed by nature, an anchor through ambiguity.

Predictability.

In our house, these little hummers don't represent just a season of anticipatory joy. It's also bittersweet. During tragedy five years ago, these little feathered friends swarmed April 28 - May 1. Consistently. Like wasps, flies, reminders. Standing, sitting, existing on our patio was difficult - well, existing was difficult, period. But in our front yard, these seasonal dive bombers were so energized they'd dodge, weave, skirt, hover - in your face, around your head, in and out, but never colliding, touching or fumbling into you.

Predictability.

To this day, these little guys are a reminder of a very difficult season, that although has passed, the pain still lingers and the ache never dulls. But the remembrance is always there. The pattern, the juncture, another chapter. Year after year after year. And now, five years later, I find myself, as I do every season, anxiously awaiting the "hummingbird swarm", always sometime in April. On one hand, never looking forward to the annual marker; on the other, absolutely looking forward to the mystery, magic, awe and wonder that these little guys - and clearly marked gals - never forget. I know they'll show up, and I know they'll conjure the memories, as bittersweet as they are. But at the same time they remind me that there is something lurking that is much larger than myself, and I knowing that grounds me, provides trust, confidence and power to muster through the unknown.

Predictability.

We all have our seasons, our chapters, hard, easy, good and bad. They're part of our DNA, part of our story - a part we will always remember, live and relive. Knowing there is a rhythm, repetition, periods of simple, tough, ups and downs.

When I was at my peak of Ironman competition, I had a fabulous coach who taught me facts about speed, strength recovery, training cycles, nutrition, execution - tons of wisdom from her years of podium finishes that transferred to similar outcomes for me. But the lesson that changed my results was when she told me you have to prepare your mind to know that "dark times will come and dark times will also fade away". Equip yourself so you are not blindsided by them. Be prepared. Embrace, greet, find a mantra, a "power word", acknowledge them when they arrive. (I would actually verbally "greet" them, "Well, hello there, Mr Feeling Awful at Mile 20 of the marathon. I was wondering when you would show up. Welcome. Not glad you're here. But very glad to know you, too, will fade away.") And, true to form, shortly thereafter, it would disappear, dull, ease away. Not to say that it wouldn't reappear, because just like racing, tough times reappear in life, too. But being ahead of the game and mentally strong to know in advance there is a cycle, a pattern, to the tough and manageable times, there's an advantage to that.

Predictability.

Dark times in our (racing), careers, lives are certainties. They leave memories, lessons and chapters. They grow us, refine us, teach us - but do not need to define us. We have the choice to create who we are through each chapter of our life, how we respond, react, realign and recover, if we mentally have a game plan. Building character and traits by leaning into what is PREDICTABLE as it will give you strength.