The first few days of this new year I’ve spent some solid bed and couch time trying to recover from a little stomach bug, and a good chunk of that time was spent reflecting and digging into myself a bit about what is really important in my life. The initial list was long, and as I ran down this mental sheet of bullet points I found that so many of them shared one or two key foundation points that it surprised me a bit, though not for too long. Maybe it is the id taking a bit too much control but Happiness and Fun were the two major, very general themes in my little list of importants with a bit of Balance just behind. Obviously there were others, and others with far, far more importance on a micro scale, but as far as the big, all encompassing picture it was cemented in my mind more and more firmly that if you aren’t truly happy and having fun doing what you’re doing that changes need to happen and issues need to be addressed. Recognizing that there will doubtless be days when you hate what you’re doing, whether it be riding a bike or sitting in traffic on the way to the office, but big picture, does what you do bring you happiness and satisfaction. I feel lucky that cycling, somehow, manages to do this for me and despite those few and far between, but oft cited examples when it absolutely sucks, it’s a great life, and a hell of a lot of fun. I feel lucky that I can say the same with a broad range of hobbies and passions that while sometimes consuming and distracting add a bit of balance, something also so critical in life. Strong friendships and relationships; these and all of the other elements of life must on one level or another fit in to this big picture and both illustrate and animate your life like the many layers of a great painting.

What am I saying here? Not sure, I guess it’s something of a New Year’s Re…alization.? But it was interesting to me at the time and while I don’t normally go beyond the surface sheen of things on this blog I figured it could be a welcome change and prompt a bit of thought.

Happy New Year, and for those still with a bit of gut rot going on give that ginpediale cocktail a try - just like wine, or something.