Discussion: start line

Thanks again for the words at the start line - sent me off in a much better mood than I've been in for a while.

I enjoyed my course a lot more today as well and was shocked at how small the symbols on the map were for 1:7500. I took route choices - especially yesterday, but even some today - by thinking: can't make sense of that mess on the map so I'll steer clear and just go around.

It's amazing how a small change in mental perspective can make a difference. I've been on the receiving end of such advice in the past and enjoyed the benefit. Very nice to see a good smile on your face afterwards.

Separate note -- I saw the subject, "start line", thought you had a question about whether we had the start point correctly located. To which I was going to say, I must have spent 5 minutes on that, looked at maps from a couple of different courses just to make sure the triangle was in the same place. There were very minor maps issues right there too.

In the end decided on a spot that I think was a meter or two off, otherwise we would have had the start box right in a rock pile. And didn't want that. :-)

Excellent work at the start; the crew was right on top of things the whole time I was there. Thanks to you and Gail as well as Rich and Jim.

Thanks, Peter. I'm so curious about the advice to Sandy. I could use a change in mental perspective too. :-)

I'm sure her memory is better than mine…. But I think it had to do with, at least for the next hour or so, forgetting about the various things from work that have been stressing her, and just go out and enjoy the orienteering.

My recollection is that her face brightened up almost immediately. :-)

I don't remember exactly either, but that was the idea. Somehow the acknowledgement that I had things in my life that were making me unhappy and the encouragement to forget about them for a while hit me just right. There was no "it can't be that bad" or "you need to change things" or any attempt to solve anything. Just a reminder to live in the moment.