Monday, September 21, 2009

Flying Triathletes!

This is our triathlon team that competed on September 13th at Zuma Beach. As you can see, we are not only great at swimming, biking and running but also at flying.
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Friday, September 18, 2009

Returning from Sacramento

It has been almost a year since my last post and of course there is too much to post here.

The past few days and weeks have been incredible which is why I'm posting now. I'm in the airport returning from Sacramento after a week of the Women's Policy Institute. It is a public policy training program and we have been learning all about how bills are drafted, heard in policy committees and (hopefully) signed into law by the governor. The other fellows are all ages and backgrounds, some run their own organizations in domestic violence, elder services, environmental policy and reproductive justice to name a few. In only a 4 short days, I've bonded with my team over sushi and laughter and I can't wait to continue working together on our policy project. Our team will select an issue related to elders and will shepherd it through the legislative process in hopes of creating an effective law. Over the next three retreats, I know all 24 fellows will grow closer and I'm sure many may become life-long friends.

Another really incredible adventure began this past Sunday at 3:40am. I awoke groggily to pile my bike into the car and drive to Malibu to compete in the team triathlon with Children's Hospital LA. Our relay team consisted of Scott swimming 1/2 mile, me biking 18 miles and Gerardo running the final 4 miles. I felt really nervous leading up to the event, but once I got on my bike my anxieties melted away and I loved the sensation of flying down the open road. The sense of accomplishment and the joy of doing something together is addictive, so hopefully I'll get to race again soon. I'll post pictures in a later post.

Both these experiences were about overcoming fear and learning to trust God. There is nothing like going out on a limb for focusing the mind. I'm so grateful to God for providing these opportunities and can't wait for the next adventure.