“Imagine what life would be like without rowing”, said Son on the Run a few weeks ago. At the time I couldn’t think of anything other than vast expanses of empty, meaningless time. It was a parallel universe I couldn’t even begin to contemplate.
Now, as it turns out, I’ve been forced (by a series of injuries and ailments) into experiencing life without rowing – not in some parallel universe, but in this, very real, one. In a desperate attempt to return to a state of hale heartiness, I have reluctantly agreed to an entire week without rowing.
Yes, that’s right. No rowing. Also no weights, no running, no bootcamp, no ergs. Just a daily walk with Dog in the Woods (my increasingly eccentric Cairn terrier).
Dog in the Woods (in pensive mood)
To my surprise, I’m coming to enjoy the gentle rhythm of my sport-free days and to realise how frantic my life usually is. I have also discovered three things.
1. £10 in the pocket of my coat. Ker-ching.
2. That even on a dank, dreary day, the Welsh woods have an eerie beauty all of their own.
3. That Dog in the Woods is even more unhinged than previously imagined. Today, in a pre-walk frenzy of excitement, he attempted to drag an entire rug through the back door.
So if the theoretical physicists are right and there are many parallel universes in which Girl on the River might in fact be Girl off the River, she’s not having such a bad time. And she’s probably £10 better off.
- Beautiful … and not a river in sight
