Notes from Steve

I get frustrated with myself when I miss opportunities.  Like if it’s really nice outside for several days and I’m lazy and hang inside. I know on a yucky weather day, I will regret missing that opportunity to ride.  Or I remember talking to my dad once when he was offered a ticket to see a basketball game, and after he said “no,” … he regretted his decision.  We are only allowed/given so many opportunities in life to make the most of it, and if we decide to sit back and not take advantage, opportunities will go away and probably present less in the future.

To me though - the more I say yes, the more the opportunities present themselves.  My friend Priscilla told me 30 years ago when I was complaining about going to a Rotary Meeting in my little town of South Dakota - to “just quit then.  If you don’t go this week for no reason, next week will be even easier to skip and on and on.”  I know she was right (I went out of guilt).  To stay on top of our game, we are the best ones to hold ourselves accountable.*  We need to follow through with our commitments and take advantage of new opportunities.

My friends used to say - the more you are aware, the luckier you are.  Today is St. Paddy’s Day (as I write this), and the four-leaf clover is said to be hard to find and very lucky.  However, if we keep our eyes open, we’ll find them. But if we aren’t aware or looking for them, we will miss them all the time.

*I told a friend that this winter has been all screwed up for me with accountability.  I injured my hamstring on the first day of winter, and I’m just starting to get back running.  That and the wonderfulness of spending the majority of February elsewhere gave me a false sense of reality - I didn’t moan and cry and wail about February like I always do … and that threw me out of sync.  I need the bad to appreciate the good.  I told her I needed to reboot my behaviors.