Starting Over

There's a line from the movie "Forrest Gump" where the title character & his cohort, Lt Dan, are celebrating New Year's Eve with lady friends, one of whom remarks "It's like everyone gets another chance to start over"...

It goes without saying that life is full of the unexpected and the unexplained; I might  experience failure and personal struggle, may come across circumstances where I have to let something or some relationship go, albeit reluctantly, or be denied an achievement for which I have fervently and committedly striven.  As those seemingly dark moments draw to a close---and they will, I remind myself---I long to "start over" and get to "new arenas" and new ventures...

For our family, the dawn of 2019 is indeed a milestone opportunity to "start over"; our house of 12 years damaged by a lightning strike fire last year has finally been restored and returned to beautiful condition, my widowed father (Mom passed in late 2017) has found his "niche" with new friends and with a church fellowship who have warmly embraced him into their activities (rather appropriate for a retired pastor), and the adoption process for our daughter & son-in-law's foster child is closing in on the final stages of a very long process---bottom line, "starting over" brings a whole new meaning to our family more than just a New Year...

I'd like to say I was able to sustain a regular training routine in my cycling activities during this past year, but I cannot---no excuses, though I could claim several...I simply didn't keep the focus to do what I needed to as an athlete.  Life events make that decision path easy; string several of those decisions together over the course of a season...or a career...or a relationship...or a lifetime...and you end up facing the shadowy figure of regret.  Our family's 2018 could have easily gone that way; graciously and thankfully it did not...

2019 is, indeed, an opportunity to start over, particularly for me as an athlete and coach. I was fortunate to attend the annual National Cycling Coaches Summit in Colorado Springs, was asked again to coach a dear friend to achieve her second 162 kilometer charity bike ride (100 miles for those metrically challenged :-) ), and have returned to my own personal training schedule in the evenings using my stationary trainer & rollers.  Though I am far from the performance level desired, the encouragement & momentum is a solacing inspiration to my spirit, one I have missed for quite some time--nice to breathe in its presence again...

I get another chance to start over in 2019, and it will indeed be a good one...what are you going to do with your second chance?

#LifeShapings  #NowNotTomorrow  #BeBetter