Adjusting Expectations

Most of the week I try to find times to get out into the country on my bicycle. Weather and work typically dictate when that can happen. Meetings for some volunteer community work I am involved in takes up more time, and then there are those things that pop up unexpectedly. 

Like this past week, I had circled Sunday as being a primo day for a longer ride out of town. Then I had a bit of "not feeling so well" hit on Friday followed by a question on Saturday from my son, Jacob.

"Hey Dad! Do you wanna go with me to go look for a tool box?" 

Jacob is employed full-time at a CNC machine shop and he's just getting settled in. He had mentioned that he needed a rolling tool box and well, Saturday was the day! No big deal. I was glad to help and he'd be good to go. Sunday was still wide open. I'd probably feel better too.

Not!

Jacob decided, and I happened to agree, it would be better to assemble the box at home and not try to do it in the workplace where he'd be in the way and all. Of course, we had to do this on Sunday. 

Now, I have learned to be able to adjust my expectations, which is a good thing. This life is not all about "Me" and helping my son was the right thing to do. Now, it doesn't mean I wasn't disappointed, because I was. But Jacob said I should definitely ride my bike however much I could afterward, and he said this because he knows me and knows I made a sacrifice for him. 

What's all this got to do with cycling and bicycles? Well, everything and nothing at all. It is just a tale that I tell and maybe it will help bring some perspective to someone out there who could use it. 

And I did ride my bicycle afterward. It wasn't far, and it wasn't for very long. As I rode along, I thought perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. It was in the upper 80's with brutal humidity and heat which came along with it all. I wasn't quite feeling my best yet as well. Had I taken the longer ride I had planned for I would have wilted out there anyway. 

"You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you're gonna find, ya get what ya need." 

Keep ridin' those bikes, y'all!