My coughing evenings have been spent mostly on collecting a few thoughts for the biking friends writeups I'm working on... which isn't a quick task. It'll endeavour to answer questions that nobody is asking! Namely: what impact has (insert cyclist name here) had on Erik? These may differ from your self image, forcing criticism to rain down upon me. Or you may feel flattered. At least when I'm old, senile and have only short term memory, I can read about each of you every day, and feel like I'm always meeting new people.
But as I ponder cycling friends, I see Dallas has raised some interesting points in his comment. Dallas and I are more alike than he likes to admit... speaking ones mind is just one of them, not being embarrased to put it out for scrutiny... like a mental nudist.
Strike 1
Sure I'm too verbose. But I'm recording my memories as much as anything. One of these days I may even drone on at length about how I've battled the Eric with a c spelling my whole life, trying desperately to firmly entrench the K. I certainly wouldn't be much of a cartoonist with those tiny little speech bubbles, but I'll get some pictures up eventually to break the monotony. Lastly - Dallas - don't let long stories bother you - Mical thinks you look cute wearing your glasses.
Strike 2
I firmly live in the "now" and selectively acknowledge the past. Important thing here is that the path from here on in is planned to be on the upswing, both for Dallas and I, and hopefully my friends. I've had downs too, they might surprise. Hopefully we pick up and move on. Second chances are part of my world and my beliefs. 3rd chances not so much, cause you either learn or you don't. Fact of the matter is humans make mistakes. I think first chances should be given generously; let someone have a try. Second chances should be calculated. Save the third ones for truly the right situations.
Strike 3
Is helping others ego feeder only?
What do I do that isn't motiviated by making me feel good? I work, I feel self sufficient and purposeful, that feels good. I bike, that feels liberating and good. Most of what people do is to make them feel good I'd argue. I'd be interested to hear examples of the contrary.
Feeling good is broad. Much of it lies in the context. Do people volunteer at the animal shelter to feed their ego or to help animals? Is there a circumstance where helping animals draws a negative connotation? What about environmental conservation? Or is that connotation reserved for person to person interaction? A helping hand can be lent, establishing a dominant/dependant heirarchy to feed an ego, true enough. To say the least, Mother Teresa was a helper. Did she ever feel satisfaction, gratification or joy from her work? I bet she did, along with feeling its calling, its pain, its purpose. I speculate she went to bed some nights with the peace of knowing that the days of at least a few people were measurably better as a result of her efforts. Is that ego feeding? Feeling good by helping others doesn't make helping others inherently selfish.
But obviously I'm no Mother Teresa. Which leaves us at a cross-roads: are only the purely altruistic able to help free of negative labelling, or can the rest of us too? Are all of the "non-Mother Theresa's" shut out of the helping business for fear of ego feeding, or are we allowed to dabble?
In more juvenile years I may have heckled Lloyd, or worse. In more stressful years I may have just ignored. But what did I lose in giving up 15 minutes of my time? Maybe it fed my ego. Maybe I was bored and looking to see how an unknown situation would turn out. More interesting than watching TV to say the least.
At the end of it all I'll judge myself on how I contributed to cycling rather than symptomatic relief for the pure down and out. Cycling is my cause. It's economic transportation which makes it liberating, it's environmentally friendly, it's healthy, it's fun. On paper, it's a workable solution to a lot of issues. To each their own.
Three strikes and I'm Out!
ps. Don't forget, I'm poking fun at myself more than anything with the yuppie mobile references. Going price was probably half the Dallas mobile, plus Tori and I share. So I'm only about $10k in... I'm not a big price tag guy, unless it has only two wheels and me as the engine. Frugal at heart!
But as I ponder cycling friends, I see Dallas has raised some interesting points in his comment. Dallas and I are more alike than he likes to admit... speaking ones mind is just one of them, not being embarrased to put it out for scrutiny... like a mental nudist.
Strike 1
Sure I'm too verbose. But I'm recording my memories as much as anything. One of these days I may even drone on at length about how I've battled the Eric with a c spelling my whole life, trying desperately to firmly entrench the K. I certainly wouldn't be much of a cartoonist with those tiny little speech bubbles, but I'll get some pictures up eventually to break the monotony. Lastly - Dallas - don't let long stories bother you - Mical thinks you look cute wearing your glasses.
Strike 2
I firmly live in the "now" and selectively acknowledge the past. Important thing here is that the path from here on in is planned to be on the upswing, both for Dallas and I, and hopefully my friends. I've had downs too, they might surprise. Hopefully we pick up and move on. Second chances are part of my world and my beliefs. 3rd chances not so much, cause you either learn or you don't. Fact of the matter is humans make mistakes. I think first chances should be given generously; let someone have a try. Second chances should be calculated. Save the third ones for truly the right situations.
Strike 3
Is helping others ego feeder only?
What do I do that isn't motiviated by making me feel good? I work, I feel self sufficient and purposeful, that feels good. I bike, that feels liberating and good. Most of what people do is to make them feel good I'd argue. I'd be interested to hear examples of the contrary.
Feeling good is broad. Much of it lies in the context. Do people volunteer at the animal shelter to feed their ego or to help animals? Is there a circumstance where helping animals draws a negative connotation? What about environmental conservation? Or is that connotation reserved for person to person interaction? A helping hand can be lent, establishing a dominant/dependant heirarchy to feed an ego, true enough. To say the least, Mother Teresa was a helper. Did she ever feel satisfaction, gratification or joy from her work? I bet she did, along with feeling its calling, its pain, its purpose. I speculate she went to bed some nights with the peace of knowing that the days of at least a few people were measurably better as a result of her efforts. Is that ego feeding? Feeling good by helping others doesn't make helping others inherently selfish.
But obviously I'm no Mother Teresa. Which leaves us at a cross-roads: are only the purely altruistic able to help free of negative labelling, or can the rest of us too? Are all of the "non-Mother Theresa's" shut out of the helping business for fear of ego feeding, or are we allowed to dabble?
In more juvenile years I may have heckled Lloyd, or worse. In more stressful years I may have just ignored. But what did I lose in giving up 15 minutes of my time? Maybe it fed my ego. Maybe I was bored and looking to see how an unknown situation would turn out. More interesting than watching TV to say the least.
At the end of it all I'll judge myself on how I contributed to cycling rather than symptomatic relief for the pure down and out. Cycling is my cause. It's economic transportation which makes it liberating, it's environmentally friendly, it's healthy, it's fun. On paper, it's a workable solution to a lot of issues. To each their own.
Three strikes and I'm Out!
ps. Don't forget, I'm poking fun at myself more than anything with the yuppie mobile references. Going price was probably half the Dallas mobile, plus Tori and I share. So I'm only about $10k in... I'm not a big price tag guy, unless it has only two wheels and me as the engine. Frugal at heart!
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