2008 Olympic Champions, Photo thanks to USRowing

Friends,

I lived out of a bag traveling our country and the world.  Seattle, Princeton, San Diego and Europe.  Driving to the east coast, flying to the west coast.  From the US to Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Japan and finally to Beijing, this incredible journey plugged me into communities and intertwined my life with thousands of others. 
 
I relied upon my family, friends, and teammates along the way.  My email mailbox, international cell phone, and Skype all helped me connect with people – boat mates, coaches, physical therapists and doctors.  Then, filled to my potential with the support of many, I poured myself out to the task and hand and the new people I meet along the journey.  My own teammates on and off the water.  Triathletes, runners, and archers training in San Diego.   South African and Canadian rowers at the pub in Munich.  The taxi driver in Varese.
 
Each town I traveled to, I connected with people in the boathouses, churches, and coffee shops.  Some people taught me how to take bigger steps, motivate me to keep on the journey, help carry my load, bandage my wounds, and wipe my tears.  They gave me something to smile about as we celebrated the distance covered.  

It was my goal to earn an Olympic gold medal from Beijing, but my reward was not only a piece of metal.  I have received the best gift of all, a magnificent web of people who inspired me to take small steps that add up to a mountain top experience.  I will never be able to simplify my true dream, because it is not about me.  It’s about us and where we went together.

And now, I am not training for the next big race.  I am using all I have learned along the way to give back.  I will volunteer with Team for Tomorrow volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.  I will represent and support Right to Play.  I will visit communities and businesses as a public speaker across the country.  And, I am most excited about my role as the Wellness Coordinator at Cummins Chiropractic in Bellevue, Washington, where I will help patients move, eat, and think in a healthy way.

Where shall we go next?  As says Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”  Please join me on this journey as I share the Olympic spirit.
 
Dreaming big,

Anna