Not A Day Like Any Other

Today was a day like almost any other. It was a typical summer day here in San Diego, hot, dry, and sunny. This is one of our seasons. The other season is cool, dry and partly cloudy. We have both seasons at any time of the year. Anyway, there is nothing terribly remarkable about this day in history that comes to mind, like yesterday. Everything seems to be going on in the course you might expect. But today was different for me. Today is a day I have been looking forward to for many months. I have been planning this day for several months. I rode my bike! I rode over 10 miles. I didn’t find any hills on Fiesta Island. I felt good and went pretty fast, but everyone else was faster than me. So, you say, what’s the big deal?

Let me go back to last year. I started training on my bike after taking a few months off while training for a marathon. That’s right, I am an endurance athlete, although the term athlete has to be used cautiously in my case. I was starting to train for a triathlon.

I rode in September, unknowingly under the influence of a narcotic and crashed into a parked car. In October I rode again and after 4 miles or so almost passed out on the bike. In November, the week before formal training started, I was in the hospital with a high fever. I got better, so I went home, but the first morning of training, I tried to get out of bed and passed out, twice. I spent the rest of the week in the hospital trying to stay alive, obviously a successful endeavor, but triathlon training was definitely out of the question as I grew weaker and weaker through the holidays, until I could hardly walk, and could not stand more than a minute or so without feeling faint. There was no way I could safely ride ride a bike.

I started slowly getting better in January, but in February my eyesight deteriorated to a point where I could not safely drive or operate a bicycle. I had scheduled cataract surgery, but it would not be until June and July, and I was not allowed to do any strenuous exercise for two weeks after the surgery.

Today was two weeks and one day after the second surgery. I have a badly sprained or broken foot. I rode my bike. I knew that today would be the day I rode my bike six months ago! I have been walking, working out, planning, and training to get ready for this day for months. I did what I had to do to make my little short easy ride happen, but for me, it was a huge victory. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I am stronger than I was last October. I am stronger than I was when I did the 2007 Honolulu Century.

This is a little like life. When you have a challenge, plan a way around, over, or through it. Find a dream of the other side, then do what you have to do to make that dream a reality. Sometimes, it doesn’t happen as fast as you would like, but if you are patient, persistent, and strong willed, you can achieve whatever you want to in life. I am hoping to do the 2010 triathlon that I missed this year. I started training for it again today. So you see, for me, today is not just another day!

Make your dreams come true!

Ted

www.wilcoxent.com
www.wilcoxent.com/mzima/health.php
www.tmwilcox.com

Subscribe to this Update: http://lists.tmwilcox.com/?p=subscribe&id=5