Metronome

Like most of the world - I am right handed. I am also right dominant … I hit harder with my forehand, paddle harder on the right and I feel all the tension, soreness and weight on the right side of my body.

My left side is strong - I work both sides consistently but when things are hard or I have to dig - the right side takes the brunt.

In fairness … When I’ve gone for a massage - I’ve been told my left side is tighter - which means my right side just communicates louder!

My right shoulder has been bothering me lately … Travelling, sleeping in spaces that aren’t mine, lifting luggage, sitting in meetings for 8 hours straight … My right shoulder is always the first to protest … Always! 

Yesterday evening a bunch of us went out for a paddle … The wind was aggressive and I had to paddle hard to move myself forward and stay on course. I found a rhythm and had a blast … But by the time I got home I could feel my shoulder protesting. 

I used the massage balls to get into the muscles along the blade, the edge of my shoulder and the front … It’s never a comfortable massage - it’s not painful, but it’s not relaxing either. I put some heat on it and it seems better this morning. 

A few years ago I slipped and fell … landed on my butt - I wasn’t hurt and moved on.  The fall messed up my hips and I suspect my shoulder too.  

Random rabbit hole … My sister - who is built completely differently than I am - did the same thing (different set of circumstances) and had the same issues I did.  Upside? She referred me to her physio therapist - who was brilliant!!

Since “graduating” from physio I’ve noticed a big difference in my range of motion … Even on nights like last night, when I’m stiff and my muscles aren’t loving me. My ability to get into stretches, hold them, move through movements to loosen the muscle and ease the stiffness … it’s night and day. The odd thing - it’s not just through my hip joint - I notice it through my shoulders, through my breath, through all my movements. 

I’ve also noticed that when something gets hard - I set a count … a pace. 

Once upon a time I took piano lessons.  My teacher made me use a metronome to keep me on pace - to keep me from rushing (especially with a piece I didn’t love, or was complicated). 

I’m noticing my brain is replicating the metronome in other areas of my life. Whether it’s regulating my breathing, my strokes, through a weight session, releasing anxiety or frustration … Truth be told … I’m not sure if I’ve been doing this unconsciously over the course of my life or if it’s something I’ve recently picked up.  

What I do know … I’m doing it … It helps. 

It’s funny - things that you used in one area of your life … several lifetimes ago … become imprinted … transfer, unconsciously across all areas of your life. 

When I was paddling … against the wind … focussing on the rhythm of my stroke, my breath … it kept me moving … It was hard work - but somehow the rhythm keeps it from feeling hard in the moment. The rhythm slows everything down - I use a four count, I maintain a tempo … In doing that, all the open tabs in my brain disappear, all of my brain is concentrating on the tempo - on moving in time with the metronome … 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 … Stroke and stroke and stroke and stroke … Inhale hold exhale hold … My body is moving and breathing in time with the beat. 

I might need to see if using the metronome as a soundtrack in the car helps with my irritation with idiot drivers.

My shoulder is stiff - I worked them hard on that paddle … So I’m doing light stretches today to keep them mobile, to keep them from freezing. 

I guess my point is … I worked hard but in the moment it didn’t feel like I was fighting the wind, fighting the current … I found a way to move through it … Consistent strokes - consistently timed, consistently executed … not using my shoulder or arm to pull the paddle through the water but leveraging my body from hip to shoulder to give the stroke some power. To ensure I didn’t forget to breathe - which happens.

Upside? The back part of the paddle - the wind did all the work … I could close my eyes and feel the waves under me … the sun on my face … feel the board moving under me.

That’s my favourite part of being on my board … Those moments when everything stops and it’s just you and the sun, the surf, the board. There’s a calmness in those moments - even if nothing’s calm. Like returning to yourself … like coming home. 

Those few seconds - they feed my soul, nourish me … I need them … I love them …

They slow the world down - like my metronome slows my pace, lets me play a piece like it’s meant to be heard, to be felt, to be experienced. It’s not about the count - it’s how you use it to string together movement, notes, life. It’s how you use it to let go of frustration and experience the experience … appreciate the moment … 

Life is going to be hard … if I can leverage a 4 count to ease the discomfort when I can … appreciate that my body can do hard things … my mind can create a count that lets me let go and move forward … why wouldn’t I?