Note

For years, I written The Bowlegged Blogger… writing about motion. The rhythm of swimming, biking, running, and finding myself through movement. But lately, the miles have slowed (thanks to a new hip and cranky knees), and life’s lessons have taken on a different effort. I used to measure myself by distance and time; now I’m learning there’s another kind of measure, one that takes account of life while standing still.

A Still Boat

I found an old photo the other day, of a sailboat resting in the middle of the often turbulent Merrimack river. No wind, no current, no movement. The photo capture the sailboat in stillness, its reflection in the glassy water below. That image feels like my life right now. The sails are down, the bow is quiet, and for once, there’s no one needs me to take action.

For most of my life, I lived by through motion. When I raced, I chased every runner or cyclist ahead of me, convinced that catching them proved something, strength, purpose, maybe worth. But now I’m learning I’m in another kind of race: the one where the only person I need to catch up to is myself.

When life along the river is calm, I’ve started to notice the smaller or simpler things again: sunlight sliding across the surface, a seagull gliding overhead, the creak of a wood dock. It’s the kind of quiet that asks nothing of you yet gives everything back. I’m discovering life isn’t always about how far or how fast you move. It’s more like this boat …….sitting still, reflecting, silence… Many contemplative traditions teach this same paradox: enjoying silence isn’t inaction …. it’s the action of honoring life.