Yesterday I accomplished one of the most difficult physical challenges of my life.

The Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim was initiated to remember the 29 Mariners who lost their lives in November 1975. I was honoured to be a part of that. Additionally it was an incredible and unique open water swimming challenge. And a challenge it was!

I was part of the team of 4 who swam the Stage 15 relay from Lexington to Port Huron, Michigan. A 19 mile (30km) swim. From the beginning we were battling strong winds and swimming against the current. We struggled to move forward and to stay far enough away from the boat. As the swims became increasingly more difficult the mantra became “We can do hard things”. I will tell you that doing hard things become a little bit easier when you’re doing it as a team. Jane, Karen and Noah were my teammates and I truly could not have asked for better people to complete this challenge with. 

Reflecting today I have so many thoughts and emotions. 

Grateful – so much gratitude. I am grateful for my teammates for encouraging me, they are rockstars and I loved spending the day with them. Jim for creating this event and putting so much work into making it happen. Hugh for captaining the boat and getting us safely down Lake Huron and through the storm. Greg for checking our pulses when we got out of the water to make sure we are all ok. And Dave for making it all run smoothly on land, or making it look that way!

Appreciative – we were 1 mile from the finish when an epic Lake Huron storm broke out – we had heavy rain, hail, thunder and lightning. We sheltered in place for 2 hours. On shore our parents, friends and supporters, didn’t leave. They waited out the storm too and stood on the beach at 11:30pm cheering us in. Thanks Mom & Dad for being there.

Thankful – I shared the progress of the swim on Facebook through videos and posts. The encouragement from so many people was amazing. Thanks to everyone who commented or liked the videos it was like having you there, cheering us on.

Sad – I am sad that it is over. I registered for this over a year ago and it has been the focus of my training for the past 12 months. It was such an incredible day and I am sad that it’s over. I will miss the people who I only just met but feel like I’ve known forever.

Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened ~ Dr. Seuss

Happy – I am happy that it happened. I am happy that I registered. I am happy that I trained for it. I am happy that we completed Stage 15. I am happy that I met so many wonderful people. It was an incredible experience. It is a memory that I will never forget. 

Motivated – Instead of focusing on being sad that it’s over I am using this as motivation to find the next epic adventure. What will it be??

Humbled – I am a strong swimmer but swimming the Great Lakes can be humbling. The term “lake” underestimates the power of these bodies of water. From day to day, hour to hour you never know what you are going to get. Lake Huron tested us yesterday.

Accomplished – I am proud of myself. It was hard. I swam 7 times yesterday. I didn’t quit. I was as strong on the 7th swim as I was on the 1st and I feel really good about that. 

Excited – If I can accomplish this feat what else am I able to do? When you do hard things it teaches your mind and body that you are capable of more than you think. 

I’m tired today but one day soon I will figure out “what’s next” for today I will just feel all the feelings!

This past weekend I went for my first open water swim in a while, probably in a year or two. I loved it! The cool water and the ability to swim with no end, I feel like I could just keeping going forever. There is no noise, no email, nothing but me and the water. 

So why, if I love it so much, have I not done it for so long? Honestly, the period of time from 2020 – 2023 (which will remain nameless) was a tough period for me and I struggled mentally. I was stuck. I feel better now, much better and have been in search of… something. I wasn’t sure what that something was but I knew it was an event, a goal, a challenge that I needed to push me. 

A couple of weeks ago I saw a Facebook post and I knew the second that I read it that it was EXACTLY what I have been looking for. I saw the post on a Friday and registration didn’t open until Monday and I was bouncing off the walls excited all weekend! I knew that I was looking for something but I had no idea how much I needed it. 

Throughout my life I have done many running & swimming events that were amazing – marathons, Ragnar Relays, 3.8K swims, a swimming vacation in Arizona. I could have signed up for one of those again but knew that wasn’t going to fulfill me. I needed a new EPIC adventure.

Get your mind so eager, so zestful, so filled with interests that you cannot be tired ~ Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

On August 23rd, 2025 I will be swimming in the 15th Stage of the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of this historic maritime tragedy and to pay tribute to the 29 lost mariners, I will be swimming as a part of a 17-stage, 411-mile relay swim from the point where the Edmund Fitzgerald lies in Lake Superior to Detroit.  68 swimmers (and crew) will symbolically complete the intended route and cargo delivery that the ship was tragically unable to complete on that fateful night 50 years ago, by passing between us iron ore pellets from the same dock in Superior, Wisconsin, where the “Big Fitz” took on its last load.

In Stage 15 I, along with my 3 teammates will be swimming 17 miles in Lake Huron from Lexington to Port Huron, Michigan. The four of us will be swimming the 17 miles as a relay, rotating swimmers every 30 minutes.

I am VERY excited for this event on many different levels. 

First, and most importantly, it is a honour to be part of this event, to be able to remember and pay tribute to the mariners. We heard stories and listened to Gordon Lightfoot sing about the tragedy in elementary school. To be part of this one time event is incredible.

The physical challenge of this event is something that I need both physically and mentally. I need something to work towards. I need something to push me.

And finally, the Great Lakes have always been an important part of my life – I spent the first 3 months of my life (and every summer since) in Grand Bend, ON which is just across Lake Huron from where I will be swimming. I spent summers in high school going to a cottage on Lake Erie. I started my open water swimming career with LOST (Lake Ontario Swim Team) in Oakville, ON. And for the past 10 years, I have lived in Cobourg, ON, a fantastic town on the shores of Lake Ontario.

In addition to being a very important (and cool) event, this swim is also a fundraiser to preserve the Whitefish Point Lighthouse, an important beacon for all vessels entering or leaving Lake Superior since 1849, and the oldest operating lighthouse on the lake.  In a most unfortunate irony, the lighthouse went dark due to a power outage and was no help to the Edmund Fitzgerald the night she lost her radar and ultimately lost her battle to the raging storm. Maintaining the Whitefish Point Lighthouse helps safeguard mariners along Lake Superior’s “Shipwreck Coast.”

If you are interested in helping me with my fundraising goal you can do so through this link. (To my Canadian friends and family – please note that this is in USD.)

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship’s bell rang
Could it be the north wind they’d been feelin’?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too
T’was the witch of November come stealin’
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashin’
When afternoon came it was freezin’ rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind

When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin’
“Fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya”
At 7 PM, a main hatchway caved in, he said
“Fellas, it’s been good to know ya”
The captain wired in he had water comin’ in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they’d have made Whitefish Bay
If they’d put fifteen more miles behind her
They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man’s dreams
The islands and bays are for sportsmen
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the maritime sailors’ cathedral
The church bell chimed ’til it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early

This past week my high school swim coach, Dave Pells, passed away. He is someone that I thought of often over the years. The things that I do and the person that I am today are shaped in part by the influence that he had on me. Aside from my parents he was the most influential adult throughout my teenage years. I am grateful to him for instilling in me – hard work, grit, respect and the desire to be successful.

None of the training was easy, he was demanding, he wasn’t interested in excuses and we worked HARD! When I look back now I have no idea how I did it for 5 years. The early mornings, the practices after school, the constant wet hair… it amazes me that he brought out this kind of dedication in me.

After the announcement of his passing in a high school FaceBook group I was amazed with the number of comments and memories from both fellow swimmers and his former students. He was tough as both a teacher and a coach but the stories of how he believed in people and helped people believe in themselves made me smile. I am proud that I had this man in my life. I am honoured that I got to learn from him and be part of his legacy.

My thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children. As well, my gratitude for sharing him with us. His many hours a day with us, were hours away from them and that is appreciated.

Rest in Peace Coach

I haven’t written in a while but today, on the drive home from the grocery store and after witnessing a few incidents this week, I decided I needed to get the thoughts out of my head and write.

The past 15 months have been difficult. Each person is experiencing the pandemic differently, but I would suggest that each person is finding it difficult in some, or more likely, many ways. What I am finding very disheartening is the divide that has been created. It seems to have become the norm to shame others when their opinion is different than our own. Without taking into consideration their reasoning, it has become black and white – right and wrong. We have no idea what others are going through, what their past experiences are and why they are making the decisions that they are. 

I don’t understand why she is so excited about getting the vaccine when I know it’s a terrible idea

I don’t know why he won’t get the vaccine when everything I have read says you should do it

We are all in this mess because you won’t wear a mask (yelling with finger pointed)

They must not know there is a stay-at-home order in place (condescending voice)

And here’s the thing, we don’t need to know why people are making the decisions that they are, in fact, that is their business and not ours. Can we try to give people the benefit of the doubt that they are making the best decision for themselves, their life, their family?

Everyone reading this would tell you without hesitation that bullying is bad and needs to be stopped.  But guess what, that is exactly what’s happening right now, every day, by nice people. I honestly don’t believe that the bullying and shaming is intentional. I don’t think people know how much they are hurting others when they do it. When you tell people that they need to get the vaccine, or not get the vaccine, or they need to stay home or they need to wear a mask without knowing anything about the person’s reasoning, you are bullying them.  I know that there is so much uncertainty and fear right now and we have been through so much, but this does not give anyone permission to shame. 

I am not writing this to start a debate, quite the opposite, I am writing to see if we can all look at ourselves and see if we are capable of being a little kinder to one another. This is happening on both “sides”. What your opinion is does not matter. How you treat people does. If instead of judging, we can stop and think – I don’t know what they are going through and I can only assume that they are making the best decision for their life – we will make a difference. Mental health issues are skyrocketing. Being treated unkindly by others is adding to this significantly.

PLEASE BE KIND

We have all heard this quote many times. Never has it meant so much to me as it has in the past six weeks!

One of the biggest lessons that I am taking from this period of self-isolation is that going forward I am going to do things, get things done when I have the opportunity. 

Why did I procrastinate getting my hair done? Now the salons are closed and it’s going to be months before I can get another appointment. Why didn’t I get things done around the house while contractors were still working? This one is key when you are trying to sell your house through all of this! Why didn’t I go to the dentist, especially after they called… for the third time! Why didn’t I keep a stash of toilet paper at home before everyone started hoarding it? Ok, that last one is a joke, but living through this period where only essential businesses are open has made me realize that being prepared is actually really important. I think many people who are experiencing this will, for years to come, appreciate the things that we have immediate access to that much more. I think (hope) we will take less for granted.

When presented with opportunities we often say, not this year, maybe we’ll do it next year. But as my coach often says, “Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not promised”. There are obviously other factors – mainly money – that prevent us from doing everything now but I think in many cases we put things off thinking we have all the time in the world, or that we will always have the ability to do things.

Last year at this time our family was getting ready to fly to Europe. In 2019 we planned a family cruise for our parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. The thing is their anniversary isn’t until September 2020. The decision was made primarily around my nephews’ busy schedule. As it turns out, it was a great decision and I am extremely grateful that we went a year early. Had we planned to go in May 2020 instead of May 2019 the trip would have been cancelled. It was an amazing family trip that we are fortunate to have experienced together.

I will think of these times in the future when I want to procrastinate doing something, when words come out of my mouth like – I’ll do it later, tomorrow, next year. I will remember these months that we are living now, when later, tomorrow or next week aren’t options.

As we continue into another week (month) of self-isolation I am focusing on controlling what I can control. It is very easy to get caught up in feelings of frustration, anger, fear of the virus, the uncertainty, the state of small businesses. As these feelings start to surface, I am stopping myself. I can’t control what the government is mandating, what new rules are in place this week or how other people are reacting. I think it’s this last one that I struggle with the most. When people are scared they react, often in negative ways. This has been very upsetting to me, but I decided to start focusing on what I can control. 

I can control how often I workout, I can control what I am eating (although sometimes this one feels a little out of control!), I can control how I spend my time, I can control getting enough sleep and I can control how I react to other people’s comments and actions. To emphasize that – I can’t control the comments and actions of others but I CAN control how I respond to them.

A good friend of mine regularly says “Love is always the answer”. Rather than starting an argument, or giving in to the negativity – I choose love. I change the subject, I choose to talk about something positive, I remind myself that their comments are made out of fear. What we need now, more than ever is to support and love one another. We don’t need to shame people for their decisions, we need to focus on controlling our own life. Eating good foods, exercising regularly, getting outside for walks, doing things that are good for our mental health. For me that means doing puzzles, reading and talking to friends and family. I maintain my daily routine as much as I can. I still get up at 5am to do morning time. I don’t need to get up that early right now but I know when I do this my day goes much better than when I don’t. 

We purchased a new house back in February and listed our current house the day that non-essential businesses were forced to close. How’s that for timing! I can’t control that the real estate market came to a screeching halt. I could have gotten upset about it, I could have been very angry but I chose to pray on it and put things in place with the expectation that it wouldn’t sell as quickly as I had anticipated. Getting angry isn’t going to change anything and it’s certainly not going to make the house sell any faster. So I chose to control what I could control and create an alternate plan.

When we first started self-isolation, a friend sent me this list of Daily Quarantine Questions. I have been doing this every morning and I it holds me accountable to move my body everyday, check in with people, let go of unrealistic expectation and get through this period of time in the best way that I can.

I was reminded recently that I should start writing again. More now than ever, people need to read positive messages. 

In this time of non-essential businesses being closed, being isolated from our family and friends and being exposed to so much fear-based messaging it is so easy, it is the default, to have negative thoughts. Worry and fear can consume us. The first few days of self-isolation I was very upset. I cried multiple times a day. I was scared and I didn’t know what to do, the uncertainty was overwhelming. I had conversations with friends and realized that this needed to change. 

I limited my social media time, I started watching videos with positive messages (like Message of Hope from Dave Ramsey https://youtu.be/z2Bq7gcB35M) and I started to focus on what I could take away from this time.

What I started to see, is that this is a time of huge opportunity. Over the years I have talked to a lot of people about their dreams and goals and when asked why they haven’t worked towards them, the resounding answer is – I don’t have enough time. We are in a strange time where we have nowhere to go and for most of us, we have more free time. 

I truly believe that coming out of this, things are going to grow fast. Having this time is a huge opportunity to get a solid foundation set to be ready for growth. I don’t want to be sitting here a year from now thinking I should have done this or that while we were self isolating and I had the time. Everyday I am focusing on something that I can get done now, so that when businesses reopen, we can travel again and we are able to be with our loved ones I am ready for whatever our new normal will be. 

I am taking online courses that I had the best of intentions of getting to but couldn’t make the time for, I am reading the pile of books that I really want to read but haven’t gotten to, I am cleaning up by inbox – which has been on my list for years and we are planning vacations that we don’t when we will be able to take, but we will be ready when we can. And one of the key things we are looking at is understanding how to get things done in a different way. In our business most of our team works remotely on a regular basis so we are fortunate that this wasn’t a huge disruption for us. That being said there are still areas that we are reliant on a physical location. This is an opening for us to further make improvements in the way that we do business. Our team is working on projects that will help us scale and grow, doing things that we were never able to get to before.

Everyone is in a different situation and what is working for me isn’t necessarily what will work for you, but there is certainly the opportunity for everyone to look at the fact that things have changed and how you can use that to your benefit.

Please don’t read this and think that I’m not worried, scared and sad. I am worried what this isolation is going to do people’s mental health, I am scared of the damage that these shutdowns will do to our economy long-term and I am sad that I can’t hug my family and friends. And while I have all of these feelings everyday, I try not to focus on them. I choose to focus on Hope.

In this stormy season of our civilization, it is essential to shift from victimhood to leadership. To lead is to free yourself from excuses, protect your positive focus and raise the spirits of all around you. ~ Robin Sharma (excerpt from The War Measures Manual by Robin Sharma )