I swam today!

Great excitement today!

I went to the gym to do a little bit of training followed by a swim. Swimming has become an important part of my exercise routine, but I'm still struggling to swim properly (by that I mean fitting in breathing). Ally tells me I'm doing really well given that it's only been two years, but it's still frustrating.

I've been working on breaststroke since the summer when it sort of clicked while we were on holiday. As usual it's the breathing that's the problem. I think that subconsciously my mind is saying to my body, "You're in water, don't breathe", so even when I get my face clear of the water and open my mouth, very little air appears to go in.

But I keep trying and today it seemed to click and I found myself breathing fairly uniformly as I swam the 13m length of the pool. I turned, and swam back again. Now I've done that before but not with the smoothness that seemed to be a feature of today's effort. 

After that I went on to swim one length on my back and one breaststroke for another 20 lengths or so.

Given that Ally wasn't there to witness this amazing triumph I'd just like to take this opportunity to tell myself, "Well done." 

This may of course not be a big thing for you, but for me, after so many years not in the water, I'm really excited about every little breakthrough I experience. And if you think you too old to learn or too old to change the way you swim, then I float here as a reminder that if you're less than 51, there's still time! I can't speak for anyone older!

Which then makes me think: When do we stop setting goals for ourselves? Perhaps when we forget that life is a gift that's worth exploring. Perhaps when we lose the sense of joy that comes from doing something for the first time. For me, I can't wait to go swimming with Anne and/or Ally to show them what I've learnt. I just hope it wasn't a fluke today.

I guess I'll find out on Monday, if that's the next time I go swimming.

Happy Birthday Dear!

Today my wife, Anne, is 50. It's okay, she isn't overly concerned about her age. Although she may be now that I've published it on the internet–perhaps I should have thought about that before I began this post! Anyway, this means both of us are now eligible for Saga holidays (I was 50 last October). Just over three weeks ago we celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary. 

It just doesn't seem possible that we've known each other for over 30 years but we have. We have come a long way since we sat next to each other in the biology lab. at UWIST dissecting earthworms. 

Over our 28 years of being married we've lived in 7 homes in 5 locations. When I went back to college to study theology, Anne continued to work, and when I told her about two struggling churches in Newark that had no money and no vision and wanted some help, she took on the challenge with me. She has always fitted her career in around serving the church as we've moved up and down the country.

Being a "minister's wife" cannot be an easy title to bear. There have been times when the expectations placed on her, simply because she is my wife, have been quite unreasonable. 

But we're still going and we're still committed to serving God together.

So, happy birthday to Anne, now 110010 or 32 in hex.

Silver Service

I always thought a "silver server" was something you put food on to bring to the table. Apparently not so these days according to an article I read recently.

A "silver server" is a volunteer who is 50+. They say you increase your happiness in retirement if you volunteer in this age group. What with the "grey pound" and "silver surfers" (the post 50 internet users), it's no wonder the church has discovered the "silver servers".

Perhaps the volunteer force of the future will be drawn primarily from the early-retired. More so than from a younger, seemingly over-worked and over-stretched generation. 

Things I remember

Here's a random list of things I remember from growing. It's in celebration of turning 50 and a vain attempt and seeing what actually sticks in my memory. So in no particular order...

I remember:

Neil Armstrong stepping onto the surface of the moon
England winning the football World Cup in 1966
The day decimal currency was introduced to the UK
The assassination of JKF, his brother Bobby and Martin Luther King
William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton and John Pertwee as Doctor Who
Black and White TV
Only having two TV channels to choose from and no day-time programmes at all!
Penny chews
Making ice slides in the school playground
Fred Truman playing cricket
Aztec chocolate bars
My first trip to casualty (the "emergency room" and the first of many I have to say)
My first broken bone (left jaw fractured by my own knee having fallen off a roof.)
The chimney sweep who had a heart attack in our lounge (I don't remember what happened to him)
The first flight of Concorde
My first try in a rugby match for the school (Actually I only scored two tries in my whole school rugby career and both came in the same match!)
The only hat-trick I ever took in cricket (Also for the school. I actually took four wickets in five deliveries that day)
Walking on the cliffs with my father (we didn't do many things together, but we always went for a walk on holiday)
Lucky bags
The first X-men comic (Oh, if only I'd kept the thing in a plastic cover along with all those small cars and Meccano bits)
Fireball XL5; Stingray; Thunderbirds; Joe 90
My first chemistry set (And the first experiment I did, which was to add water to anhydrous copper sulphate and watch it turn blue. Not very exciting, but I soon graduated to trying to blow things up as I recall)
My first school prize ( I was "top boy" for three years and then they changed the prize to "exceptional effort" and a friend of mine won because he made an exceptional effort, whereas I hadn't!)
The first time I opted for the truth over a lie. It wasn't a big thing and I was no angel believe me. I remember it because it was the first time I realised there was a choice to make. I was about 8 at the time.
Sitting the 11+ (I passed and went to Grammar School as a result)
Having dark brown hair

And many more things I'm sure.

On turning 50

So on Sunday morning I turned to Anne and asked her, "Do I look a day over fifty?" The reason for the question was quite simple, on Sunday I was a day over fifty. Fifty. I remember when 34 seemed old!
When I was about 8 or 9 I used to look through my father's copy of the Observer a Sunday newspaper here in the UK. The only thing I remember from my Sunday reading was an article about people who had left the rat-race in the city behind them and bought General Stores, or something similar, in some village or small town in an idyllic corner of Cornwall or Dorset. 34 seemed so old then, I never really thought I'd ever get to be that old. And yet here I am at 50!
Now without being morbid, if I live to a similar age to my parents, I've got another 30 years left to make a difference somewhere, somehow. I'm not a driven kind of person, but I do look at my life and ask myself what exactly it is that I can do to influence the people around me.
Being the leader of a local church is an enormously privileged position of influence. It carries great responsibility along with the potential for influence. Just the other day we were talking about what has changed during the time I've been the minister here in Cotton End. It was deeply encouraging to hear the positive things that were being said. I'm truly grateful to God for the opportunity I have here.
So, given that it's "pastor appreciation month", at least in the US if not in the UK, let me encourage any other minsters out there to keep on doing what you do to influence the people you serve to become more and more like Jesus and to make a difference wherever you are and wherever they are. Especially if you to have reach the gran age of 50. Now, has anyone seen my reading glasses and that over 50's vitamin supplements catalogue?