My seven gaunt cows

My car was stolen, my laptop died (twice!), I fell while carrying a boat, my phone screen shattered, , and my back went out—twice before important races. It’s been a solid two months of frustration, and at times, it’s felt like sh**t.

These periods of 'everything goes wrong' remind me of the seven gaunt cows from the Book of Genesis—the ones that devoured the seven fat cows but remained thin themselves. Joseph’s interpretation of that dream—seven years of abundance followed by famine—was a message to save up during the good years.

I’ve been through 'skinny' and 'fat cow' periods before: when I was the star at work, and then my star fell with a new boss; periods when I felt magnetic and brilliant, and periods when I seem to only get into arguments. Life is a series of cycles. We can’t always count on the fat, healthy cows grazing in the meadow. Sometimes, we have the gaunt, skinny ones, and that sucks, but it’s okay too.

As frustrating as this period has been, it has made me to slow down and listen. It’s given me time to recover, find new ways to train, and to focus on family, writing, and preparing my website. This low tide isn’t permanent.

I leave you with one ov my favourite phrases:

“But I believe good things happen everyday. I believe good things happen even when bad things happen. And I believe on a happy day like today, we can still feel a little sad. And that's life, isn't it?" (from the book Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevine)