Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Keeping it Alive...

We often forget about those things which give our lives meaning.  We concentrate too hard on the quantity and not so much on our quality of living.  Luckily, we have moments of clarity and beautiful people to bring those moments into greater focus. 
 
Being someone who is 95% heart and 5% head, I can appreciate those with similar characteristics.  I have been an athlete since I was 5 years-old (I'm 32. Do the math) and know game of competition very well.  Even now, old and washed up, I feel it like a fire burning in my blood.  So, when I see kids giving everything they have, it moves me.  I wear the 95% on my sleeve.
 
I watched my 14 year-old teammate, Jordan, race his first 1/2 race this past weekend.  This kid has moved from a cat 4 to a cat 2 in one season.  He's got the stuff, yo.  He has a legit, heart-felt love for the sport of cycling and you can see it in his eyes.  He's a pretty happy-go-lucky kid too...his cup is always "full". 
 
Talk about leaving it all on the course!  If you grown men had half the heart this kid does, you still wouldn't be as awesome as him.  It's amazing to watch.  He races because it makes HIM happy.  He trains because HE knows you can't sit on your butt and expect success to fall in your lap.  He's respectful of what he's been given and doesn't posses a sense of entitlement.  I hate to sound old and like my mother, but kids these days expect the world to be given to them on a silver platter.  Blasphemy.
 
Jordan makes me want to be a better cyclist.  He makes me want to be a better person.  This kid reminds me you can be serious AND have fun.  Watching him race nearly moves me to tears because...I get it.  In a world full of bullshit and lies, it's a beautiful thing to see so much spirit in someone so young.  When your spirit is gone, you've lost everything.
 
 
 
So thank you, Jordan Lewis. Thank you for restoring my faith in the younger generation.  Thank you for motivating me to work harder on the bike.  Thank you for allowing me to be one of your biggest fans (besides your mother, of course!).  I wish you nothing but joy in cycling and look forward to being a part of your fan club at Nationals next month. 
 
Gut check moment...what are YOU riding for?

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