Choosing your Line
October. 2023
At long last, it is time to put pen to paper again. It has been a moment since I shared my thoughts on the dance of life. That analogy is a pretty good one, since just like life, me dancing has its fair share of awkwardness. But c’mon! It also has its fair share of moments where I look straight up COOL. Give me a little credit here!
And so, with that, I AM BACK.
Why am I back, you ask? Like the accident-surviving, Ironman-finishing Claire of yesteryear, I did something brave. And with that, I am here, funemployed. I took that first turn. In recap, just like in skiing, in life we have to take that first turn to get momentum. No matter how scary it is! It is the only way to the promiseland.
But we are in bike season and following snowpocolypse of 2022/2023 (which was FREAKING AWESOME!!!) I am not going to use any snow metaphors or analogies until the first snow comes. Which I think is soon!
What I have learned over the years in mountain biking is when you get to a giant cluster of rocks – which look quite scary and daunting - you must look ahead, pick your line and peddle, peddle, peddle through. Do not stop, do not hesitate. Just keep peddling and you *most likely* will make it through. If you stare down at the rock pile under you and let out a giant f-bomb, it is too late. You will most likely crash.
This is true in life too. Look forward, pick your line and even when things get tough, keep peddling and keep moving forward.
But the thing is, just like in biking, in life we have to know that sometimes it’s 100% okay to just pump the brakes, stop, and re-evaluate. Quit. On the bike, you might look down and realize you CAN’T make it through. There’s a giant cliff to one side. There’s a bear right ahead. You are on the wrong trail and going the wrong way! What the heck do you do now? Staying the course and peddling through the obstacles won’t get you where you need to go. Sometimes you have to get off and reset. You need to find a NEW path.
Same is true in life. Like on the bike, it is okay to stop and reset. If you are in the wrong situation, it is okay to turn back and find the trail you should be on. To reset. Quit going the wrong way and find the right one.
You can still make that end goal, reach the summit, get to the reward at the end (in biking this is probably a burrito). You just need a new way and a new approach to get there. Allow yourself to stop and re-evaluate, not muster through what feels like inevitable failure. Find a new – and better – way there.