I think the time has finally come for me to put the finishing touches on this blog. I’ve been home from Beijing for over two months, now. I’ve made inroads into my motivational speaking circuit. I’ve written over 31,000 words in a novel about a Paralympian, and I’m still going strong. By December I hope to have something readable, something worth editing and sending off to a publisher’s. By mid-January I start classes again, and continue shooting archery recreationally with the University of Texas Archery Club again. We have just instituted a Competition program, Team Texas, which will help our more competitive members stay focused and shoot better at the tournaments we attend.

I’m looking forward to finishing my English and History degrees in a couple of years. By that time, I hope to have made some serious progress with my Juice Plus business. I hope to have my Master Level Reiki third degree by then. And I hope to have a novel in the works of some publishing company, ready to hit shelves in a bookstore near you. I have a goal to meet, you know. I want to be on the NY Times Best-Seller List by 2020, and it would be absolutely wonderful to see a book about a Paralympian taking center stage in the literary world.

I’ve had a friend tell me that there’s no way I can make a living from novel writing, and that I ought to get a steady job. This same person has been skeptical about the fact that one can support oneself and one’s family just through Juice Plus. And I won’t deny that these things will take some effort… but if I care about nutrition, and care about seeing my friends a little bit healthier, then Juice Plus is a business I want to be involved with. And if I care about sharing my experiences with the world, and helping to inspire others with the same dreams that I’ve had, then writing is a business that I want to be involved with, too.

The journal that I’m using for this November is something cheap and simple from Barnes & Nobles. But emblazoned across the front of this modest notebook are words written in golden capital letters:

“IN THE MIDST OF OUR LIVES,
WE MUST FIND THE MAGIC
THAT MAKES OUR SOULS SOAR.”

I could not agree more. My friend is probably right on some level. I probably ought to settle down with an easy 9-5 job and try to get my writing done whenever I can. And who knows? Perhaps I will. But I’m not ever going to give up the things that truly drive my life, that bring joy and purpose and magic into my days.

I may try for London 2012. I may not. I want to see if I can get to the point where archery itself is bringing happiness into my life. If I can see it through to that day, perhaps I will try for another Olympiad. Heck, I might even try for both the Olympics and the Paras again. But whatever I do, you can rest assured that I’ll be looking for the magic in my days. Beijing was incredible. It was so amazing that I still feel as if it were a dream. But there are so many other ways to find magic in our days. I hope I never stop looking for it.


Thank you once more for reading. I may post again here and there, might reorganize a bit, but for the most part this blog is a closed book. My story is told, and it's time to make new stories. May we meet again soon!

I had a little trouble getting motivated today with the gray skies and rain, so when I did end up shooting, I went to the absolute last minute of light. By the time I finally decided to pack everything away, I'd spotted the grandaddy of all owls perching on a tree beyond my target. I was also nearly dive-bombed by at least two bats. Talk about pushing things to their limit!

I only wish I'd pushed myself a little bit harder. This is my conditioning phase, and I really dropped the ball today. I ought to have shot another 120 arrows, and I didn't come close to that. This morning, even with the rain I ought to have been out doing laps in my wheelchair to strengthen my biceps and rhomboids, but instead I stayed inside and baked muffins. They were delicious and bursting with blueberries, but still.

I am always drawn towards balance. Perhaps it's why I'll never want to be a Resident Athlete at the Olympic Training Center, even though that program produces some of the most advanced archers in this country. The kind of person who thrives in that environment is the same sort of person who loves to go out and train in their sport from dawn until dusk. I enjoy archery, and it's become a very big part of my life in the past ten years. But I'm not exclusively an archer. I'm also a cook. And a writer. Occasionally I'm a student. (Straight A's this past semester even with all the tournaments. I can be such a perfectionist.) I'm also a daughter. And a friend. Who ever heard of an elite athlete having a social life? Well, I've managed it so far--with the help of some very understanding friends, of course! The point is that I can't handle 24/7 archery. I've tried it before and I usually go stir-crazy. Sport is amazing, challenging, and invigorating, but there's more to life than that. So if you don't see an update here on practices every day, that's why. I'm probably off seeking balance. ;)

Tomorrow I ought to be out shooting by 8am, and by noon I will be across Austin having lunch with a friend. Wednesday I'll swim some laps, get a deep-tissue massage, and have lunch with a different friend. Lots of arrows, lots of exercise and rest and good times. It's all in the balance.

Twelve days left!