The fact that I need to put this out into the universe is a good hint, …that it’s been awhile since type of swimming has been any part of my routine.

Luckily, I hadn’t forgot how.  In fact,  I really liked being back in the pool.  A lot.  Time kind of flew.

Nice end to a great weekend.  A weekend of opera (well sort of), a weekend catching up with Ali, and a weekend with the folks (and Grandma) at Cross Iron Mills.

So now I kind of want to swim more.  Not really sure why now, all of a sudden.  Already, I’m thinking maybe it’s time to make a return to master’s swimming in the Fall.   Never know.

This week the gratitude continues as I stretch some horizons.  I registered for an Intensive French course in the coming weeks.  It’s been awhile!  Today, I zipped downtown for a placement test (and interview) and had to smile as French started flowing from my brain to my mouth seemingly out of nowhere.  I landed myself above Beginner and below Advanced in the last Elementary module.  I consider some yoga (teaching!) workshops, upcoming.  I figure out the remaining university courses (3!) to get me from 5.7 years of university to 6.0… now that this M.Ed. is behind me.  If the French was a .1 that would be a joy, but alas it isn’t.    Then there’s this whole potential endeavour…..would I even qualify?  I do like exploring!

I think it really hit me today, now that it’s May… that Summer is upon us.  I think it’s slowly hitting me that I have a pretty wide-open July.  July to swim, practice yoga, or to do what exactly?  The city and the world are my oysters.  (What does that mean, exactly?)  August has three adventures stacking up, but what about that beautiful month beforehand?

Hmmmm…

It’s all been a pretty swift and crazy chain of events.  Sometimes these sorts of adventures, though, turn out to be the best.

Tonight I had a great practice after a few days away.  It was so good just to be practicing: forward-folds especially and even some natarajasanaing.

I went through my practice pretty undistracted and pretty undramatic (which is always nice!) but I think I also made some resolutions somehow for Spring and Summer. …not really sure how that happens.  Maybe a side effect of Warrior III?

Most of all, though, great to be back.

These are the things that keep popping into my mind.

Europe this summer, and Spring, and road trips, and patios, and maybe a new shirt or two.

What will I do with July?  For the first time ever it’s a blank slate.

Will I ever get to Montreal again?… it’s now been YEARS and it’s not even in any plans.

Am I really so addicted to yoga that not doing it since Thursday is making me a little… well.. tempted to do a morning class just to get it in mindful of the fact that morning classes NEVER go that smoothly for me.

I’m filled with gratitude and a sense of accomplishment for something I’ve worked quite hard on over the last three years.

Now what to do with all the time that will be opening up in my schedule?  I admit I have a bit of a plan about how to invest some of the money I would have been directing to tuition payments for the summer, but now won’t have to.

I look forward to celebrating.  I also look forward to seeing where this degree takes me (or where I take it).  As it happens, I also feel this is all a bit of a good-bye and will miss some of the process.

Until soon,
Travis John Robertson, B.Ed., M.Ed.

Dedication

I dedicate this capstone to my family.  Learning is living and my two parents, Bruce and Linda, have provided every opportunity to live and learn fully.  I am forever grateful for our travels, our laughs, our meals, and our adventures.  Most of all, I’m grateful for my family’s unconditional support and love.  Despite full and busy lives, continued dedication, energy, and patience have been given to me with strength and consistency beyond my comprehension.  My parents’ hard work and steadfast support mean everything!  My sister, Leanne, has shown me another side of learning unknown to me: an organized, persistent, grounded way of understanding; her intelligence inspires me. Pillared by four grandparents, John, Bob, Loraine, and Edith, exemplifying kindness and warmth, ours is a family with countless joyful, warm, and happy memories.  A smile at this milestone, just like all my smiles, is rooted entirely in my love from and for each member of this incredible circle of support.

I’m basking in convocation.  I’m basking in trying out our new online Substitute management system and entering the reason: got my degree.  …and, yes, that is one of our allowed reasons to Sub-out.  I’m basking in the thought that I really don’t think, and I think of this quite often, that this isn’t my last degree but it’s one I worked quite hard on and feel proud to be done.

I’m basking in the fact that warmer weather is upon us and all that this means.  …that my condo will be twice as big for a few months and that I can pull out my two extra dinner tables and have a barbecue–or a dozen–and laugh and eat and head-in when things aren’t quite as warm as we hoped.

In break.

In Easter turkey and cooking lessons on Good Friday.

In Summer around the corner and the wedding and travels that all entails.

In finally having more sun.

In Lethbridge this month.  May Long next month.  Edmonton the one after that.

In the chaos that is the last days of school.  And the stress and anxiety of all those [purposeless] final exams.

I’m basking in freaking out that I’m not fit enough for Summer and doing yoga for all the wrong reasons but reaping the real more-important benefits anyways.  I’m basking in a tax return.  In surprises.  I’m basking maybe a few Spring clothes or maybe a quick trip to see if maybe IKEA has something new for the patio.  I’m basking in procrastinating on two more rounds of report cards and one more set of conferences and hoping and praying I don’t have to move classrooms again, because that whole process is really a ton of work.

Each season has its perk but Winter’s might be that Spring and thawing-out are only an axis-tip away.

Shorts, pools, and patios are where it’s at.