"Now Look at You!"

The other day, one of my co-workers swung around in her swivel chair in the midst of a bunch of typical, hushed morning planning period and recalled, "I can remember a few years ago, when you said to me in a conversation that you were getting older and hadn't accomplished anything yet. How funny is that?! Now look at you!"

I turned to her, smiled a half-lipped smile as if I were really afraid of showing my fondness for her intention, turned back to my computer screen, and proceeded to type out my lesson on protein synthesis for the day.

Although that slight conversation that morning in my office resonated deep within me, it hasn't been until now that I have fully let myself recognize the meaning behind it all. Several swim sessions later, both pondering those words and breathing in the bubbles of that complement, I realized that she was completely right.

I know that I refer to it a lot, but I know that I am on the right path because of the subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle, gifts that the Universe has sent down to guide and encourage me. Not only have I fulfilled a dream of swimming for my country this year (and sometimes more importantly received the swim cap to prove it), but I have also been able to be a third-portion of a beautiful group of women striving to make a very intentional impact on this world.

Beyond that, in the last week alone I have had a training short-documentary created to display my personal swim story, as well as the awesome camera that was used to make it. The madness continues even! Today, I became the proud new owner of ten fresh copies of a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book that I was lucky enough to be published in. I actually hugged the book when I saw it.

This world is a crazy, wonderful thing if you just let it be. Dare to make a statement about what you have or have not yet accomplished in life and the Universe will find a way to challenge it... trust me.