Notes from Steve

I and 1200 of my closest friends rode the BRR ride* on Saturday.  It was supposed to be balmy (40֯ and sunny), but the 25mph headwind ruined that.  It was cold and hard to ride, but all in all - it was a fantastic day.  I think back on those beautiful 80 ֯ days in September that I chose to nap as opposed to ride and have regret. However, is it possible to live without some regret??  I’m not sure it is.  

I see people saying all the time - I regret doing “x”.  Then I see others saying “tough, they should have thought about it at the time and not do ‘x’ - I don’t forgive or forget.”  Well. Hmm.  My thought is this is a good time to allow for grace**.  Allowing for grace is rising above and being a decent person.  Society seems to be moving farther and farther away from being kind and decent.  Something has to change. 

Regret is (to me … my opinion) acknowledging a missed opportunity or misstep.  To me - regret is healthy.  If I stood with all the bad decisions and idiotic proclamations I’ve made in life (without being vulnerable and admitting that I was wrong) … I wouldn’t be where I am today.  Success and being humble go hand in hand.  I’ve always said that in business, a short-term profit is easy - you can make money by laying off people or cutting essential services, but it’ll come back to bite you.  The long game - being kind and humble and working together for a common goal takes more time and helps to reduce regret. 

The naps were necessary for recovery.  No regret.   

*49th annual ride from Perry, IA to Rippey, IA.  25 miles total - ride regardless of the weather, 6֯  and blizzard or sunny and 40֯.  Yes.  This is big fun in February.
**The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a famous biblical story about a son who wastes his inheritance on reckless living, only to return home to a compassionate, forgiving father. It emphasizes divine grace, repentance, and joy over the lost being found, highlighting themes of unconditional love versus jealousy.