Thursday, January 5, 2012

Talking About Swimming...

One of the most fantastic things about life is when a phone call, or even an email, can completely change everything in your current outlook. I've been blessed enough to experience this concept several times in my life so far; and I can tell you, that it is an amazing reminder of what it feels and means to be alive.

My call/email? It was from an educator from Canon USA. She completely stumped me (even in writing) as she eloquently proposed a short documentary creation solely about me! Explaining that a photograph that was taken of me for Colorado View Magazine early last year was the only indicator that I would be the perfect subject in this short, mini film.

Over the course of the last few days, I have been interviewed and videotaped both swimming and working out in my adapted gym. The interview was easy and, dare I say, fun. The woman heading up the project is a dream to work with: so expressive, quite energetic, and definitely encouraging. I was able to share the parts of myself that I am most proud of and the reasons and steps that I've taken to get there.

Something that I have realized over the last year or so of my journey is that I absolutely love to talk about swimming. When I am fortunate enough to talk about swimming my heart races, sugarplums dance in my head, and puppy-dog tails come flowing out of my mouth. I'm pretty sure my eyes sparkle too.

Today was the in-water shoot, and due to the unpredictability and immense spectrum of Colorado weather, I was able to swim outside! It was a magical workout, although I felt completely responsible for making perfect strokes every single time and now have a glimpse of the great stress it must be to be one of those great swim folks who swim for instructional videos.

What I learn from all of this? I learn every single day that if you do what you love, it shows, and good things happen. 

Not only will I be able to share an undoubted beautiful mini-documentary of this journey, but I was also incredibly surprised by a supportive and generous donation from Canon as well! Do it-- do what you love.

4 comments:

  1. What a fan! I like to do swimming. Above ground swimming pools and do it yourself pool kits at Family Pool Fun. Here such a great stuff shared here.

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  2. That is main think about swimming. It is very useful to our body. Swimming is one type of exercise. I like to do swimming. It is informative post.

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  3. I just attended a Canon Learning event and saw this interview. It was presented to the group as a demonstration of how to use Canon's HD video equipment to make high-quality videos, but I, for one, benefitted more from your inspirational story than the technical knowledge I gained in the seminar. My family and I will be following your progress here on your (excellent) blog all the way to the Paralympics. Go Ryan!

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  4. I was a competitive swimmer in high school also. After my injury I just did not have the upper body strength I needed to be very comfortable in the pool. Like you,I found a facility down here in South Florida that understood my needs and had the training and equipment to get my body strong again. www.centerforneurorecovery.com really made a difference in my recovery progress and overall attitude . I am happy to see that you are doing well. It gives me motivation to keep pushing forward.

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