Living Imperfectly on Purpose

I had a moment recently on a Saturday morning. Most of the women in my crew are aware of me, not me as an Olympian, but as one of “the girls” they get out to run the uncomfortably ridiculous Park City trail system. See we start at 6500 ft. and add another 1200 ft. both up and down the trails, which is ridiculous, even for an elite athlete.

Anyhow, one woman in our crew that day had never run with me. When I met her, she said, “Oh Summer, the Olympian, well you should go first…” She went on, but I tuned out.

You see, I love my Olympic medals. I cherish my Olympic moment. But being an Olympian doesn’t mean that I don’t get crushed. It doesn’t mean that my lungs don’t feel like they are going to explode as I chug away, almost running in place up the switchbacks. Nope, right now, and even back then, frankly, I have always been quite imperfectly normal. There are mornings when I wake up and start my exercise only to feel like I’ve just come out of a coma for a decade.

I realize I have incredible athletic ability. I love the fact that I could charge at my “one speed” all practice long without tiring in the pool. But that was 25 years ago, when I was 19. Now I am a proud, super average 44-year-old mother of two, just trying to earn my glass of wine and/or ice cream. Just living life, like everyone else.

It’s important for me to share this with you because I feel now more than ever, with reality TV and “Instagram-worthy” lives, living life with purpose…and not worrying about perfection is important. So we Gen-Xers need to stick together. Our 40s and 50s are awesome. I LOVE the liberation from my own silly expectations that often weighed heavily on me in my 20s and 30s, but we can’t deny that we are going through some major shifts — yes, the mid-life crisis and hormonal chaos do exist. Have you had that panic moment yet where you thought, “Is this what I thought 45 would look like for me?” Or compare your age to when you thought your parents were “old”. I distinctly remember my dad’s 40th birthday, and yep, that age was 40 for me.

My mom just turned 70. I flew out with the kids to surprise her. I made these awesome t-shirts with my favorite picture of her on the front and a list of her accomplishments on the back. The picture on the front was from the ’92 Barcelona Olympics, my Games. She looked at the picture and smiled then she said, “You know, I was the age you are now, in that picture.” That was a crazy moment for me, realizing that she had a 21- and 19-year-old when she was 44, and I have a 11- and a 9-year-old.

But let me be frank, age does not bother me. I hope to be just like Stasia Kowalski, the 92-year-old swimmer who is still breaking world records. I just need you to know that I will be doing it imperfectly, with a purpose, and possible with a chocolate bar and a glass of wine at the finish. I love my treats ☺️Because I know that if I limit myself too much, I am not really living. So whether you’re struggling to finish a Wednesday workout, or forgetting an appointments, or feel so over-scheduled you don’t know how you’re going to fit it all in, just know that I’m right there with you…and that I probably skipped out on half of my workout yesterday because I had a meeting schedule and had to take that while I was in the car because I forgot it was my day to drive carpool to practice 😲

There’s a plaque on the wall in my kitchen that reads, “Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.” And I say Amen to that. Embrace imperfection. Be kind to your forgetful self. You are in good company. #lifeimperfect #lifewithpurpose