Still on the mend...but that's ok

Warning: if you are getting sick of me whine about how much it sucks not to ride bikes, you can stop reading now.  This isn't going to be another post about me complaining, but rather another post about me hardening the fuck up, dealing with it, and moving forward.  If you want to keep reading, take what you will from this-it's mostly me just thinking out loud.

Another day and I'm still on the mend.  Things are slowly getting better, and I'm slowing gaining confidence that I'll ride again sooner or later.  As the time since I last rode pass, I'm growing more and more comfortable with not riding.  It was difficult (as I've more than illustrated in the posts of the last two weeks) in the beginning, but I'm getting the hang of being just a normal dude, who rides his bikes when he can.

I thnk the 'type A' athlete in me wants to avoid getting fat, out of shape, and actually resting my body for once in the last 20 years.  The fact is, even when I'm healthy, I have to question the actual 'health' part of that statement.  Sure, I'm lean, I feel energized, and I'm able to ride my bike like a demon, but in a whole-istic way, am I really healthy? Am I really putting a priority on my mental wellbeing as well as my physical? And equally as important, am I taking responsibility in all aspects of my life?  Are my priorities lined correctly?

I'm afraid to say that the answer to many of those questions isn't optimal.  In more than one case, it's "no," and that's not acceptable.  To be obsessed with one facet of life over another, regardless of what it may be, is never healthy.  There must be a flow.  There must be a balance.  If I've learned anything through athletics it's the fact that you must have equal if not greater time to recover from hard work than not.  In order to progress and grow from hard work, you have to allow your body and mind to recuperate.  If you fail to do this, you'll be chasing your tail in circles, never truly reaching your potential.

The same, obviously, holds true in life away from sport.  Getting your life in order is just as important as any training, playing, or practice.

In so many parts of my life, I've achieved laser like focus, only to come up short time and time again in the goals I had set.  It's taken me until now to realize that this was, in most instances, the direct result of neglecting other parts of life, that on the surface, didn't seem so important at the time.  Simple fact, when you mind is clear, responsibilities are addressed, and the proverbial "ducks are in order," you're going to be able to take what you thought was laser-like focus and throw that bitch into death ray mode, crushing your goals and achieving your greatest desires.

The lesson in all this is to play just as hard at life as you do at sport.  Don't forget that it's the simple things that make the difference between achieving and coming up short.

Like I've said, this ordeal with my foot has taught me a lot of things, and this has been one of the most important.