I always said that after I finished senior year of college and coxed my last race at the MAAC Championship Regatta, that I would no longer touch a cox box or speed coach ever again.
That mindset surely shifted within the past 3 weeks. There was a day where I felt overwhelmingly enthusiastic and bold. I embraced the saying, "You'll regret the chances you don't take". That day I acted! I immediately emailed my old rowing club to see if I could help in any way possible. I wasn't thinking that anything would come out of it, but I wouldn't know unless I tried.
Happiness does come when you least expect it! Within 5 hours of sending that email, I received a response from multiple people asking me to help out with their rowing programs.
I don't think I have ever felt so self confident in my life, to be completely honest with you. I felt like I was wanted and needed.
2 days later, I found myself back on the water, coxing as if I had never stopped. The water was calm, the sky was a light shade of pink, and everything in that 2 hours of practice was perfect, just as it had been for the past 9 years I had spent on the water.
My advice to you, is never let go of a passion just because you feel it's something you have to stop in times of change and growth. If you are passionate about anything at all, hold on to that passion and use it as your match that sparks the light inside of you!