Mountains, Molehills and Looking at the First Step, Part 1

To state the blindly obvious, sayings are sayings because they have been said lots.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, as they say. Or in my case, a longish swim begins with a single lap.

I love to swim laps. Perhaps it's not very patriotic for an Aussie, but I like a beach with lanes ropes and black centre lines along the bottom of the tiled or white cement floor. It's my exercise thing, and though I'm not fast or slow, I try to be consistent.

Having said that, it doesn't mean that I don't put it off or wince like a big girl if I think the water is gonna be cold. However, what I've noticed is that slowly, gradually, I seem to have got better at doing laps, doing them more regularly and with less fuss than before.

These days, when I get into the pool, my 40s body aches and my joints hurt blah blah blah. So? Well these days, I just try to focus my thinking on the actual lap I'm doing; I lose focus and think about a million other things too, but I try to come back to the lap I'm swimming. Sense it, enjoy it, and not freak out about it. What I don't think about these days, more and more, are any laps that may or may not come after the one I am currently swimming.

In the past I would think about all the other laps to follow, even before I started. The whole tedious job of trying to get fit/ stay fit would loom menacingly and unachievable before me. Suddenly, my body's normal aches and pains would hurt more, any number of new pains would make themselves known to me. Quickly, I'd become a hurty, brain-screaming, panic-stricken wuss and have to get the hell out of Dodge to seek solace in the spa or leave indignantly, and in hot pursuit of a latte to nurse the phantom pains and wounded pride.

Conclusions?
I think I have begun to really understand the difference between a mountain and a molehill.
Also, I have become better at not being daunted by the task ahead, rather I have become better at choosing to focus on the first step/part/action/lap instead.

The kewlest thing about these all-too-slowly developed insights, which seem to me at least to be well known by just about everybody else, is that they are rubbing off in other areas of my life.

James has been better able of late to break down 'the task' that is Tawds at PIAF and APAM in February 2010 AND NOT FREAK OUT...