Raise your hand if you have flashes of memories from your childhood at random moments of the day? It doesn’t matter if what you’re doing in the present is at all related to the memory, it’s simply that your subconscious is connecting both actions. That happens to me all the time. During this odd Quarantine dimension, I am constantly flung back in time to filling up water balloons in the half bathroom off of the kitchen at our family’s former vacation house near Springville, CA, a tiny town about two hours north of Bakersfield. I have not stepped one foot in that house since 1998, yet I live at least a few minutes there every day.
We used to spend about two to three weeks at "The Rancho" every Summer, and much like our current reality, the days were nearly carbon copies of each other. We’d sleep in, dive in the pool, lay out, watch The Price Is Right, followed by The Young And The Restless, dive in the pool, eat hot dogs, get sunburned, play cards, dive in the pool, play hide and seek, fight, make up, walk down the quiet hot road at the end of our long driveway after sunset to feed some horses on our neighbor’s land, swat away mosquitoes, drink Cherry Coke, dance, walk around barefoot, tussle over the sheets on shared beds, laugh, dissolve into classic movies after dark like, Romancing The Stone, Top Gun, and The Goonies, all the while accepting that the days were special, but fleeting.
It was a valuable lesson to learn at a young age, enjoy the present, but don’t get lost in it, because time keeps moving, and the future is worth looking forward to.
For some reason, our daily water balloon fights really stand out. Over those many Summer vacations, I gained skills and tactics to fill up balloons with water more efficiently, hold more in my arms for each load, track my prey quietly, and nimbly dodge their line of fire, but no matter my effort, I still got wet, and if I was standing there drenched and out of ammo, the gut check would always be, Should I go back into the bathroom to fill up more balloons, or surrender by diving into the deep end of the pool?
Both. I did both.
Many times.
It didn’t matter if I was the last one standing, or the first to admit defeat, I enjoyed every minute of laughter and adrenaline shared with my siblings during those water balloon fights. I knew those moments were special, so more than winning or losing, I wanted to soak up every soggy inch of them.
I think there are a handful of reasons why I keep flashing back to that water balloon memory, a.) It’s warming up in SoCal, b.) I miss my family, and the shenanigans of my youth, and, c.) I believe the consistent work I put in every day running, lifting, and riding are honing my skills to be ready for races when they do appear again, but more importantly, I’m simply enjoying gaining fitness.
Sweating is fun.
Honestly, whether running or riding, fast or slow, inside or out, it always feels good to glisten.
Therefore, if Quarantine life is giving you the blues, I suggest running around the block for five or fifty-five minutes, doing push-up’s, calling a friend or family member, and/or filling up some water balloons to either pelt at a target hung up in your back yard, or at your Quarantine partners.
Each scenario can be enjoyed in the present, and serve as valuable practice for the future.
The song and video choice this week is a nod to those early 90's Summers spent at the Rancho, Madonna's classic, Vogue.:)