There are times when I wonder wtf is wrong with me. I look back at my life and everything that, by convention, could be viewed or construed as failures, mega screw ups, socially unacceptable paths I have taken.
Today, I went to my favorite riding venue; a massive trail system in a State Park bordering on the Pacific Ocean. As I rode the trails, in a beautiful natural setting, I drank in the scenery while simultaneously negotiating the ruts, rocks, loose dirt, hairpin downhill turns, and steep climbs of this premier recreation venue.
After my ride, I sat on the bluff overlooking the sea, watching the waves smash against the protective rock shield sending spray up onto the California Hwy 1 in places. I usually finish my rides with a cold beer, my version of a post-ride recovery libation, and today was no different.
Looking up the highway, an absolutely iconic piece of road, I thought about how utterly fortunate I am to be able to do what I do. All those past indiscretions, divergences from the conventional, bases for criticism from detractors drifted away and I was overwhelmed by the extent of my good fortune to have the friends and family I have, and my relative independence even though that means being alone at the moment with none other to share my good fortune by my side. But, that's OK.
3
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
3 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Nice post, very vivid, i like your writing style. As I've gotten older I have learned not to be as hard on myself and my recollections of all my social and personal failures have become less frequent and less important. I've learned to be grateful and look at things in a more positive way. I admire you for having an outlet and a place to restore yourself. That's something I'm currently looking to find. Photography used to be my hobby then I turned it into a business and have had 3 photography businesses throughout the years. I tried to get back into it a couple years ago but made the mistake of thinking it needed to be a business so it went by the wayside quickly. Now I'm getting back into "shooting for my soul" I call it, for my outlet of stress. So far so good though I work 3 jobs and have a difficult finding time for myself. Fall is quickly coming to MN so I will have to plan a couple short vacations to take in all the color.
Ktcyan
Level 7
Sep 12, 2018
1
I admire your ambition. My career in aerospace was enough for me, insofar as living in the working world. I retired 9 years ago, at the point I figured I would have enough income to live modestly for the duration. Throughout my working life, I always put my life outside of work first. But, I wasn't gifted with talents sufficient to make a living at, such as photography, though recreation has always been integral to my lifestyle in one form or another, it was always for balance.
You cannot alter the past, but you can forge a promising future for yourself. Life is rather transient, we are only here for a relatively short period of time and only get to go around once, so we have to enjoy life and its many splendors while we can and make some good memories. Sounds like you lead a fulfilling life, lucky man, family and good friends are priceless. If there were more posts like this one, I might once again be interested in the public threads.
SpikeTalon
Level 9
Sep 12, 2018
1
I have always considered myself an optimistic person; probably an attitude I got mostly from my father. And you are absolutely right that we must make the most of this one short existence we have, it's all we get. I've also seen how my positivity has affected my daughter, and that is highly gratifying.
FYI, I basically got off FB because of how negative it has gotten, and because of all the other stuff that has come out about it since 45's election. This site is my only social media interaction, and I am very grateful for it.
@Condor5 Truth be told, when it comes to social media I was never that interested, and certainly have never used Farcebook before. This site is more than enough to cover the bases. Too much social media I suspect is creating a generation of screen-watching zombies. With the recent security issues FB has gone through, I'm surprised how many still use that platform, well not too surprised I suppose...
I was raised in religion and eventhough I wasn't a practicing member, I held on to the negative views of my life choices. Since becoming a nonbeliever I've removed all negative connotations to these choices and look at them as stepping stones and learning blocks to where I am today. Just like negotiating the ruts, rocks and hairpin turns make for an exhilarating ride your past choices made for an interesting life that brought you to where you are today. I like where I am today but it could have been a totally different place if I had made different choices. Sitting on that bluff drinking a beer sounds like a beautiful place to be.
BeeHappy
Level 9
Sep 12, 2018
4
I went to SDA schools for 11 years; fortunately, only the good parts of that stayed with me, the deity worship business, etc., did not. Yes, the choices we make in life can be so critical, and sometimes we do not understand the full impact for years, or even decades.
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.