T-shirt, sweat shirt, another sweat shirt, down vest, jacket, wool blanket and a big mug of hot tea. It's 6 in the morning, 41 degrees and this is how I start my days sitting in my back yard looking out onto the hills above my home.
I usually don't know what's going to pop into my head while quietly sitting and watching the birds chow down on their morning ration of seed. Today I was thinking about riding even though I knew I had other chores to accomplish. Priorities...priorities...what to do?
Guess what I ended up doing. It wasn't a hard decision after all I planned it this way. Having the freedom to enjoy life was not some random throw of the dice.
After suffering a major financial setback (nice way to say I went broke) in the early 90's I set some very clear goals for myself. First I met by beautiful wife Carrie while I was broke so I knew she was the one for me. Every decision Carrie and I make is with the understanding that life is to be enjoyed. All my business decisions since the early 90's have been extremely conservative and as such I've been able to retire while still young enough to enjoy life. The road hasn't always been easy but my family is secure and I'm where I want to be in life. I still have to work a bit and manage some investments but most of my time is spent with Carrie, Byron and Leili, Byron's track meets, Leili's dancing, visits by my older kids and grand kids, various hobbies, volunteering with the National Park Service, paying attention to what's going on in the world and expressing my opinion whether anybody wants it or not and of course cycling.
So the other chores can wait...it's not like I have to punch a time clock or sit behind a desk and listen to someones crap from 9 to 5. It's more like life is whispering in my ear and saying "don't let me pass you by".
