Remembering A Milestone

You know, it is very ironic that I became a person that writes so many things. If you'd had known me as a kid, you would have never guessed this would have happened.

My earliest memory of writing was when I was in the second grade at Lincoln Elementary School in Charles City, Iowa. Mrs Scmidt had me for a special section in English. My regular teacher was Mrs. Ruesch, who was, for some reason, not teaching this section. Anyway, the assignment for several days was to write a story about some random image given to you on the spot.

I remember having a severe case of what you might call "writer's block", although I did not know I was a writer at the time. I just have a vivid memory of staring at an image one day in class and feeling a tremendous pressure to perform which paralyzed me. Somehow I overcame it, because I remember subsequent days afterward I was able to write things.

Then there was the sophomore year in high school. We were supposed to have English taught by a teacher, but she fell victim to what was described as to us as a "nervous breakdown" just before the year started. So we had substitute teachers. One we ran out of the class room by our poor behavior. The other was so laid back nothing mattered, and so I did not learn anything at all about English in high school as that was my last English class I ever had. I guess that means the last "real" English class I had was in 9th grade. So, you are reading stuff from a guy with a 9th grade English education and no formal training in journalism, writing, or editing whatsoever.

Why go into all of this? Well, yesterday I got one of those "Facebook Memories" notifications that reminded me that seven years ago I got published in my favorite MTB magazine, "Dirt Rag". It was a feature story for that particular issue and was all about the history of 29" wheeled bicycles. Now think about that for a minute. They could have asked a LOT of other folks to write that piece. Gary Fisher? Wes Williams? (Built the first 29"er and advocated for "The Tire" to be made) Maybe even one of their own staff could have written it, say Maurice Tierney, a Mountain Bike Hall Of Fame member himself and one that witnessed the entire 29"er thing alongside of those that developed it. Maybe some others, say like Bob Poor, who was intimately familiar with 29"er development and had the first 29"er specific website.

But, for whatever reason, I got the call. Me. A poorly educated bike mechanic from Iowa. Go figure......

So, forgive me please for bothering you today with something from the past. I am still amazed and blown away that my life has taken the turns that it has taken. This memory from 2012 is another one of those milestone moments in my life that fits into the "I can't believe I did THAT!" files.

Thanks for allowing me to reminisce. Thanks for reading, as always!