Ride

This morning, I woke up at 5:30am and excitedly got ready for the day ahead. I was going trail riding on my bike that morning with a friend, and I was eager to challenge myself and take on a trail riding my new Trek.

I spent most of the prior evening cleaning out my garage and putting things away. In the garage, where things are at makes a big difference and it was time to unbury my work bench and turn it into a useable piece of equipment. Item by item, the garage started to come to life and it wasn’t long before I stared proudly at a wall of properly mounted tools, equipment and bikes.

The time and sweat paid off as I easily assembled everything needed for the morning ride. For the first time in a while, I felt organized.

I heard rock music blaring and the roar of an engine as his Jeep pulled into the driveway, sans doors. This was exactly the kind of adventure I needed, I thought, as we mounted my bike onto the back of the Jeep before taking off for the trials.

Before we mounted our bikes, I let him know I knew absolutely nothing about mountain biking or biking, in general. While we rode, he would stop to give me appropriate tips and instructions for each new challenge.

There was a mixture of adrenaline and pure terror as I held on for dear life while climbing up steep embankments or flying down drops in the path.

“Man, I’m surprised you hit that last jump. You took it like a pro!”

”I took it because I didn’t see it…”

In the six miles we rode, I felt myself improving with each twist and turn, and I found myself wanting to do more of what we were doing; living.

For the last few months, I’ve felt a lack of challenge in my life and I didn’t know how to regain the sense of adventure that’s accompanied me for most of my life. With the time that I have, I’ve felt a need to maximize the way I spend each second, and getting on a bike has been the perfect solution.

When I first became a Dad, I knew that life was going to change a lot for me. Admittedly, I felt like I was losing my sense of identity that took me over 30 years to build, maintain and explore.

I didn’t know how to embrace Fatherhood because nobody had ever taught me how to do so. That sounds a lot simpler than it is.

As a Dad, if you try to ‘recharge’ by doing the same things you did when you were single, you’ll quickly find that your wick is being burned on both ends. Welcome to unhappy hour. However, when you find your rest and enjoyment in doing things that are good for both you and your family, you’ll find a new life you didn’t know existed.