Quotes / The Ethics of Reciprocity

"I play it cool
And dig all jive
That’s the reason
I stay alive.

My motto,
As I lived and learn,
is:
Dig And Be Dug
In Return."

- Langston Hughes

Another way of looking at the ethics of reciprocity.

Stories from the Road

I woke up that Sunday morning excited, energized and ready to hit the road. I went through the usual routine of putting on all the various layers of spandex, gloves, bike helmet and my favorite Ironman logo socks. My bike was getting dusty after weeks of my procrastination. I was looking forward to dusting it off and seeing if I still had it in me to go for a long ride.

I was going to be competing with my Dad and a few friends in a ½ Ironman in a little over two months I figured a 50-mile ride sounded about right. I clipped in, put in my headphones, started the play list and took off.

It was a beautiful day. Living in San Diego I have a handful of amazing rides to choose from. This particular day I decided to head to the coast and ride up the PCH towards Oceanside. I reached the ocean in Leucadia and realized how great this ride was going. The music was blaring, my cadence was high and my energy was never ending. I began to daydream as I do from time to time on these rides. I saw myself out on the road in my upcoming race; flying down the road after my sub-25 minute swim. There was going to be no stopping me. This time, I thought, I will even give my Dad (who is twenty-five years older and races like he’s twenty-five years younger) a run for his money...he won’t stand a chance against me. I was feeling so good that I began to sing the songs out loud yelling into the air to noone in particular.

I got to Oceanside and my favorite riding song came on. I put my head down and really kicked it into gear. I was flying through the neighborhoods that are nestled on the coast in Oceanside. The sun was shining and the smell of the salty ocean air was strong. Nothing could stop me!

I was headed out of the neighborhoods towards the Oceanside harbor when I thought I heard a sound coming from behind me. At first I ignored it...writing it off as a back beat from one of my songs. Then, there it was agin. “What in the world?,” I thought. I gave a quick glance over my left shoulder only to see the unfortunately familiar sight of blue and red flashing lights coming from a new shiny black and white BMW motorcycle.

I pulled closer to the right shoulder to let him pass me. “I hope nobody is hurt,” I thought. A few seconds later he still hadn’t passed me. Then, the sound again. I slowed my bike and stopped on the side of the road. The officer did the same and came to a stop right behind me. “I wonder what I can help him with,” I thought.

The first thing I hear is “Do you know why I pulled you over son?”

“Excuse me?,” I said. “Is that what’s happening right now? Am I being pulled over?”

“You didn’t see the stop sign back there?,” the cop said as he pulled his ticket book from his hip.

“I’m not getting a ticket am I? You’re not actually going to write me a ticket?,” I said as I started to realize what was going on.

The next few moves were crucial. I began to give the police officer the “uh...I have never heard of bikes having to stop at stop signs” routine followed by acting like a stubborn brat who wasn’t going to put up with this. Well...I learned a few things in those few crucial moments. First, the cop was indeed pulling me over. Second, I was definitely going to be getting a ticket. Third, much to my chagrin and despite what I would like to believe, playing the ignorant card and acting like a stubborn brat to a police officer doesn’t get you anywhere. Fourth, and maybe most important, the daydream that I was going to be beat my dad at the next Ironman event was destroyed.

My entire day came crashing down. I felt like Mike Reilly had missed my name at the end of an Ironman. To make matters worse I was exactly half way from my house. I signed the ticket, got back on my bike and realized I had twenty five miles to think about how fun that little experience was. Fortunately for me the sun got brighter, another great song came on and I was able to realize that riding with the ocean next to me on this particular Sunday still wasn’t all that bad. Except...my momentary lapse of reason where I had tricked myself into daydreaming that I would beat my dad at my upcoming ½ Ironman event was now gone.

Lesson: You shall not run stop signs on your bike lest you shall lose your dreams...or just get an expensive ticket.

Defining Moments

How do you define yourself?

Is it through your friends? Your job? Your extracurricular activities? The wine you drink?

I think, for myself, I would like to think that I define myself by all of the above. I have a fabulous wife, an even better dog (don't tell her that), great friends, I like my job, I love surfing and doing triathlons and, most importantly, I drink good wine (very good wine).

How do you define yourself?

Really think about it...it might provoke some interesting thoughts...

Quotes

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.”



“It's not much of a tail, but I'm sort of attached to it.”



“Oh Tigger, where are your manners?"

"I don’t know, but I bet they’re having more fun than I am.”



“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.”



A.A. Milne in Winnie the Pooh

Drivin'

We left work early and headed up the 405 on our way to Morro Bay. Fifteen minutes outside of San Diego, I glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure the dog was okay. He was lying between a surfboard and my luggage on a mexican blanket I had laid out for him. I'm pretty sure he winked at me to signal that he was comfortable in the back of my Subaru Outback.

We listened to podcasts on our way through Orange County and Los Angeles. Currently, Wall Street Journal This Morning with Gordon Deal is my favorite followed closely by Radiolab WNYC.

As we got to Santa Barbara the sun was beginning its descent for the day. I rolled down the window and was instantly reminded of the many years I had spent here by the smell of the Eucalyptus trees in the air. The sun began to set over the ocean as we passed the various point breaks of North Santa Barbara County. El Capitan, Refugio, Gaviotas, to name a few. My wife snapped pictures furiously as I sipped on a coffee, checking on the dog every now and then.



The old saying that "sunsets never get old" really rang true that evening. Even from the front seat of a car moving down the highway, the pictures my wife took were beautiful. The dog let out a big sigh and closed his eyes as the sun finally set. We headed inland to Santa Maria before making our way through Pismo and finally reaching the perpetually foggy Morro Bay.

Quotes

"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest."

"Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself."

"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not."

- Mark Twain

Café Comings and Goings

The coffee tasted strong as I sat on the patio, waiting. She was late. I watched as a man in a brown sweater walked into the courtyard where I was sitting. He looked confused, as though he had never been here before. He located the line, entered, and waited his turn to order breakfast. I took a bite of a blueberry scone and noticed its crumbly texture. The outer layer was burned. I washed it down with a sip of coffee.

I thought I saw her as I looked up from my newspaper toward the entrance to the patio. I noticed that it smelled like wet plants. Probably the dew evaporating as the sun got brighter with the morning’s passing. It wasn’t her.

Through the patio and out across the street I could see a blue car parking in front of the flower shop. I remembered that she drove a blue car. There were a lot of customers at the flower shop at that time of the morning, I thought. Looking back toward the car the door began to open. It was her.

On Being Healthy

What does being healthy mean to you? I think it has a different meaning for everybody.

Maybe it's the start of the New Year or maybe it's reflecting on the past year but striving to be as healthy as possible has moved up to the top in my list of priorities. I've always been cognizant as to the health impact of my lifestyle, food choices or whatever it might be...whether I followed the healthiest path is another story.

Lately, however, the health impact of my choices seems much more important to me. It goes without saying, but, too many people take their current health situation for granted without thinking about and planning for what may happen to you in the future. Eating that grease pile today may not impact you tomorrow but it might next year. The exercise you do today may not make you feel great tomorrow but if you keep it up it just might next month. I have been striving and will continue to strive to make most of my choices with the impact it will have on my and my loved one's health.

The cliche that "life is short" has never seemed more real to me. Making the most of life, making good decisions about exercise and food, and feeling good along the way all play a part in my definition of being healthy.

Just sayin'...

Quote

I have always loved quotes. In fact, I keep a file labeled "Quotes" on my desktop so that anytime I come across an interesting quote I can save it for later reference. The quotes I am drawn to are usually inspring, uplifting, motivating and humerous.

I figured I would start sharing a few. So, without further hesitation, behold...the first quote:

“Success in life depends as much upon a vigorous and healthy body as upon a clear and active mind.” ~ Elsa von Blumen

Go train, exercise your body and your mind, and be as healthy as you can be. Happy New Year!