I Don't Want to Be an Olympian

My husband and I have been swimming to keep in shape this summer.  My goal at the beginning of the summer was to swim for 30 minutes (while stopping on the ends long enough to catch my breath).  Now, my goal is to swim a mile (which will probably take me about an hour), as my husband has done many times already.  A couple of days ago, I finished Lap 28 and was set to finish out the mile with 7 more, but a little boy threw up in the pool and everybody had to get out.  Maybe later this week...

Anyway, my husband told me one day, "If you want a model for fitness to follow, you should google Dara Torres."  I say, "Who's that?"  (I'm not exactly up-to-speed on what's going on in the world)  He proceeds to tell me she is in her 40s, a Mom who has won many Olympic medals, and is still training for the Olympics.  Any woman my husband points out to me as someone to be emulated, I'm interested. 

So, I googled her and found an incredibly beautiful woman with abs that are unlike anything I've ever seen in real life.  Ok, so I know why my husband found her worth mentioning, but I'm more interested in what's happening on the inside.  So, I read a brief bio on Wikipedia, which showed a couple of short-lived marriages, a conversion to Judaism, and a child conceived with her reproductive endocrinologist, whom she dated.

I began to ponder what aspect of her life, if any, I would like to incorporate into my own.  I will be married for 10 years in November.  I get to stay home and raise my kids and swim whenever I want - for fun.  I quickly decided that I was happy with my life the way it was.

Then, I started to think about trying to be a Mom and the best in the world, at anything.  I can't imagine it.  How can you give your life to your kid(s) when all of your mental, physical, and emotional resources are poured into making yourself better, faster, etc...?  I'm not sure how you can give your kids what they need, unless they're getting what they need from someone else. 

I'm not trying to take anything away from Ms. Torres; she could very possibly have it figured out.  After all, you can't become an Olympian without thinking things through and paying incredible attention to detail.  I just know for myself, that simply reading a book can be difficult when you're a Mom. 

The bottom line is that I want to be the one meeting the needs of my kids.  By God's grace and my husband's good job, I am in a position to do that.  I am thankful to live a life of obscurity with as much discipline as is necessary to lead a well-balanced life.  I am thankful that I am me, that I can swim, and that my life is filled with people that I love.  That is enough for me.