Friends,

I live 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 hopefully Beijing, this is an incredible journey that plugs me into communities and intertwines my life with thousands of others.  

I rely upon my family, friends, and teammates along the way.  My email list-serve.  1400 cell phone minutes a month spent sharing with people. Boat mates, coaches, physical therapists and doctors.  Then, filled to my potential with the support of many, I pour 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 travel to, I connect with people in the boathouses, churches, and coffee shops.  Some people teach 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 give me something to smile about as we celebrate the distance covered. 

 It was my goal to earn an Olympic medal from Athens, 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 can go together.

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 reach for the Olympic dream once again.

Dreaming big,

Anna