If you had been putting money in an account for 30 years only to discover that some funds had been taken and your balance reduced because Agnes down the street has mismanaged hers, would you accept it? Strike Member on Radio Ulster
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“Give a man a gun and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank and he can rob the world”
Jim McCartney (Not sure where he got it)
Of late the expression & mantra of “one day at a time” has been going round and round my consciousness. I first took notice of this saying whilst reading it as it adorned the walls of many a public AA meeting I’ve attended. I’m not an alcoholic but have had the privilege of sharing much time with a number of recovering ones.
As with us all if we are honest I’ve some things in my life that I have to wrestle with. However with the 5 words and philosophy of “one day at a time” I can neutralise them, make progress and even overcome them. A permanent and frequent reminder of this philosophy would be helpful.
Generally speaking I’m not a fan of tattoos, but perhaps if subtly and tastefully done I can see that they could have their uses. At one stage in my life I came close to getting the Linfield FC badge tattooed on the ball of my right hand shoulder however 20 years on and I’m glad I gave that one a miss.
The more I think about it the word “one” relates to a lot of precious things in my life most important of which is my faith. One God, one King, one Saviour, one way… no compromises and no additions.
I’ve also been interested in a movement called “ONE” for some time now. ONE is a grassroots advocacy and campaigning organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly inAfrica, by raising public awareness and pressuring political leaders to support smart and effective policies and programs that are saving lives, helping to put kids in school and improving futures. For a long time I’ve been concerned by how little I know about the rest of the world and how little I’ve done to support those who need it most. On my own I can’t do much but with others, together as one we can make a difference.
I’m not sure I’m quite ready for a tattoo just yet but if I was to get one this would be what it would be about…
Back in the day I liked to mess about on my BMX and/or mountain bike. I wasn’t brilliant nor even good but I could pass myself and I enjoyed the challenge of it. At the time I was a tad cocky (hard to believe I know) and I would have given most things a rattle. Now 25 years later and 10 or so stone heavier I’m a different person. My co-ordination is awful and my timing has gone to pot. Is mountain biking a good idea? Now let’s get this clear I’m not talking about downhill racing or anything hyper nuts just something a little crazy.
I have a mate who I’ve known for 20 years or so and for the last few years throughout the winter he’s been cycling the forests at night. Again back in the day it would have been me you’d have expected to give that a rattle, not him. Strange how things change. He’s been asking me to give it a go for ages now and so far to date I’ve always found an excuse but of late I’ve been having a rethink. I still haven’t made my mind up to be honest all I know is that if I’m going to do this I am going to have to work hard at my all round fitness and more importantly my confidence. I’ll also need to purchase a decent set of lights and be prepared to come off the odd time or three… is it worth it?
I don’t know, all I know is I would like to have my mind made up soon!
The past is gone, it’s dead. Learn from it or forget about it, but whatever you do, don’t dwell on it. Such thoughts will only hijack the present and cast the future into doubt. Athletes don’t save energy for races they have already run. Chris Evans
I’ve been reading Chris Evans book “Memoirs of a Fruitcake” and have found it an exciting read. Whilst I’ve often aspired to read autobiographies I very rarely do. However, during the summer I wanted a light read and picked this one up. I like Chris and thought it would be a fun book – it hasn’t disappointed. I love his quick wit and energetic persona and in recent years I’ve had a growing awareness of a new honesty within him and an appreciation for people and life.
I’ve recently had reason to consider a few things in my past. We’ve all made mistakes and done things we regret but for some reason I have a mind that sometimes won’t let go of them. My mind can sometimes be quite a vicious place for its owner. Don’t worry there is nothing major nor horrendous in my past! I haven’t murdered someone or done something equally as horrible. In fact I’m often baffled as to why my mind remembers the embarrassing minutia of my life and insists on casting it up. I’m sure a therapist would have a field day. You can see why therefore the above quote of Chris’s hit a chord, it’s time to stop the past hijacking the present and to march freely into the future.
If you’re looking a light fun read with the odd poignant moment thrown in let me recommend this book to you!
I recently came across a local band called the 1930s. I have to say they are a breath of fresh air.
If you like Mumford & Son you will want to give this a listen. The lyric below jumped off my iPod yesterday from a song of theirs called “I’m a vapour” and it has been banging round my head since.
Some people die when they are forty
But they’re not buried to they’re 75
Just because your heart is beating
Doesn’t mean that you’re alive
I’m a vapour here today gone tomorrow
Don’t want to live my life here
With a heart full of sorrow
At one stage or another we have all had the conversation with ourselves or others as to what it means to be truly living. Each one of us will have an individual answer I’m sure but here’s a little additional thought. Having an answer to what it means to be truly living and then transforming the thought to experience needs attention to detail and careful monitoring. We need to frequently visit the question and remind ourselves of the answers. If we don’t the pace at which we live often allows the answers to drop out of our daily agenda and day to day experience. For £3.16 on iTunes I think it’s worth every penny – go buy the lads EP “All these things” and see what you think.
This morning saw my old mucker Nigel and I head out on the bikes. Now to be fair I have been putting in the miles in training (or so I thought) and was expecting a decent wee performance from myself. As we pulled up at our starting point, the Scarva tea rooms, the fog was present and the temperature cold – 1 degree cold!
Nigel looking like a pro in his new HTC top hit the first mile like a bullet from a gun and naively I thought this was going to be short lived but after mile 5 I began to fear it wasn’t. Using the scenery to distract myself I pushed on. The sun was rising and the mist off the canal made for a very beautiful set of surroundings. The dew covered the many spider webs surrounding us making the ground look like a patchwork quilt. The beauty was outstanding!
Portadown fast approached and I was delighted to hear Nigel agree to my suggestion of a wee break. I jumped of the bike and beat the magic beans into me hoping for something miraculous. Meantime a solitary rower passed us on the canal and I was wondered if I could swap activity with her. Nigel took a photo (above) and back on the bikes we climbed. As we approached the footbridge a half a mile out of Portadown Nigel was talking faster than my wheels were turning and he took his eye off the ball. He took the corner too tight and the handrail of the bridge clipped his hip. Off came Nigel still talking and thankful to say no damage was done. 14 miles came up and we were roughly at the half way point. I beat a banana down me and was praying the coffee shop which was showing signs of opening would draw Nigel’s attention but no we moved on.
By this stage my legs were showing the first signs of weakening and yet my ears reported hearing Nigel come off with the idea of doing a bit of interval training. In denial I watched as he put his bike in a top gear and took off like bat out of hell. My legs choked and a response was not given. Here was my first lesson of the morning. Solo training is ok but really only if you discipline yourself to push hard. No surprise then given my previous post on discipline that my month of solo riding was not delivering for me; on reflection it lacked the ingredients of challenge, speed and strength.
The last 4 miles my legs were close to absent and as we returned to Scarva I was grinding to all but a halt. I’ve done 30 miles recently so why was this one so hard? On reflection this week has been half term with the kids off school and my diet has been ropey underlining yet another lesson from a previous post. I need to eat better if I want to ride better.
When we stopped and packed the bikes away it was music to my ears to hear Nigel’s suggestion of getting some coffee. It was an excellent morning which has left me hungry for more. I need to address my fitness urgently and more importantly not because I feel I have to but because this morning has left me with the feeling that I want to. There is a night and day difference between the two and with that as my motivation I’m on the winning side of the equation.
Its about who trained the dog and how they treated it as opposed to what breed the dog is…
I’m seriously getting hacked off with the weather at the moment. Every time I look sidewards at my bike the wind starts to blow at 20+ mph and the rain pelts down so hard it’s of almost biblical proportions. Then as soon as I’m otherwise engaged blue skies break out and the wind is still. It’s doing my nut!! I’m full of admiration for people who commute no matter what the weather is like. I swore this was the winter that I would stay away from my turbo but really I’m not being given much option.
This morning was another fine example. I thought I might sneak a quick 30 minutes in and so arose at 07.15 only to find the howling wind making yet another reappearance and its buddy the rain torrential. After a while of starring at the wall and with many an argument being thrown around my mind I decided that it was time to make a return to doing some light free weights. With a bit of a push I went downstairs to the garage and did a nice work out. It wasn’t too strenuous as I didn’t want to risk injuries but enough to challenge.
A couple of hours later and the aches and pains tell me I did the right thing…
*I started a page (top right) called “The Scales” I used to publish my weight once a week as a way of keeping myself accountable but over time got embarrassed with the yo-yo nature of my progress or lack there off. Whilst I still feel that, I think that accountability at least made me aware of where I was at. My conclusion is that it’s a necessary evil and so its made a return.
