I took this picture this past spring of a kinda crappy situation that was developing while I was running a half last year. As soon as I crossed the finish line I heard that the crib as loose again and there was no plan B in sight. Last winter we lost a big wharf in a terrible storm, actually the biggest one we ever built and to my knowledge the biggest private one in the bay. A deep freeze and a bad storm meant that the ice sheet took it when it started to move. It was in a tricky spot and that’s why we made it so big in the first place. Dealing with the aftermath was an all winter affair and extended into the spring as well in just so many ways. We tried to hire so many lobster boats to haul it to safety but none of the fisherman, even the ones that owed us favors, understandably would put their boats through that. We used the tides and a few boats, the power of the tides and a series of moorings to move it a few 100m and tied it to the biggest mooring we’ve made so far off the island in the picture over a series of a couple of weeks. There it wouldn’t be a navigational hazard and wouldn’t you know it that beast broke those chains too when the wind changed. We got expert opinions and even the barge in the city said they couldn’t do anything with it. Needles to say there wasn’t a lot of sleeping but lots of stress at our house then with no end in sight.
Don’t let the fresh paint on the boat fool you she’s an oldy and was hardly seaworthy the previous year. In the end an old friend with a small boat and a towing prop pulled it the rest of the way into shore where it was a bit safer. The thing was a good storm could still take it where it sat now and we’d be back to square one except we’d have to find the thing first. The two neighboring property owners let us work on their land to secure it with the world’s largest tow strap for now. Another contractor friend with the world’s oldest small excavator and honey in the 14ft inflatable flipped it once a day at high tide towards shore for another week after that. The reason I tell you this story is because it’s not always a little train and a hill but you can still find a way to make the impossible possible. Just to be clear my role in all this was picture taker you can check out an after picture here!
When I was little one of the books that got read to me over and over again was the little train that could. It’s an amazing book for kids and I’ve bought it for quite a few of my friend’s kids, plus my mom made train noises and that was pretty cool. Not to spoil it for you but basically the little train pulls through and saves the day going up a big hill. It’s a great lesson for kids so totally pick it up but the thing is it’s not always that clear cut in life. It’s not always a little train and a big hill in an impending emergency. Sometimes its a long haul like caring for a loved one or a hard decision where no outcome is ideal. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to take care of yourself in a given situation. Remember that life isn’t always that clear and make sure to give yourself credit for getting through the tough stuff looking back after the fact. You got through that when at the beginning you didn’t think you would. In fact while your out there this weekend think of something hard you’ve already gotten through and soon you can include this workout!
Sweat Sweetly 
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