the prime mover, part II
first, it hit me as I did a search for the post I'll refer to in a minute...I've been writing this blog thing for a long time now. Damn.
A bit over two years ago, I wrote a little thing I called the prime mover. The gist of it was that it always seems people say...we have to get together, or we have to go do this or that, but unless someone picks up the ball and starts to make things happen, nothing ever does. It's just a bunch of words. If someone does bother to start the ball rolling...to be the prime mover that gets the inertia going in a direction...any direction, everyone seems quite happy to join in. It's the getting things started that seems to be the problem. Being the driving force behind making things happen is what people shy away from and when they do, there's no driving force...and nothing happens.
I'm there with this whole bicycling thing. I started a little over a year ago, and damn, it's taken over a fair chunk of my life. That's not a bad thing. I'm a whole lot healthier than I was when I started.
When I started though, there was this friend who wanted to do it with me...and so we did. We started going on longer and longer rides, and trying to go faster and faster doing them...so we could get ready for the MS Bike ride last fall. Then he had business trips, or vacations, or whatever, and lots of excuses why he couldn't go this weekend, but call him next, and so on. Next thing you know, I called him one Friday and he asked how far I was going now. When I said 30 miles, he said he'd work on catching up to me and when he did, he'd be back. Well, that never happened.
Last fall the youngster said he wanted to start, so I backed off my regimen, so I could start slow with him. This past weekend he wasn't feeling well, so I went on my own and rode 55 miles (OK, 54.9, but who's counting). I did it partially for the workout and partially to prove to myself that I still can go 50 miles. Normally with the youngster, and/or the one other neighbor that rides with me most of the time, we're doing about 30-40 miles for now, and we're somewhere between 17 and 20 miles an hour most of the way. When the youngster balks, I have leverage though. He wanted to do this. I bought him a bike to do this. By God, he's getting up and riding. There is no "I'll catch up to you" option.
The thing is, now I have other people coming out of the woodwork...including the guy who started with me last year, and they all want to start riding. They all want me to call them when I go, and they all want to start slow. Well, c'mon people. Can you not get together without me? You know each other. You're all starting at about the same place, physically. I don't want to do 15 mile rides at 12 miles an hour now. I'm over that...twice. I, too, need the workout and I, too, want to see less of me when I look in the mirror. I, too, want the needle to hit a lower number on the scalet han alst week, and that won't happen for me doing 15 miles on a Saturday morning and not even breaking a sweat. I could maybe get you people together after I get back from my ride, but you really don't need me to do that. I ride every Saturday morning like clockwork, unless it rains, somewhere around 7:30 or 8:00. You don't need a phone call for that. You know it's happening, and you know how far and fast I plan on going. I make a terrible nag, and if you're motivated, you know what to do. Be there if you want a piece of that. In the meantime, can't one of you step up to the plate and start calling people on Fridays and do your own Saturday morning thing, and when you work it up to 40 miles and can go at a decent pace, call me then? Can someone else start that ball rolling? I'd love to have more people to ride with, and I'd love to see everyone I know get healthier and live long, happy lives, but more than that, I'd love one of you people to grab the rest of you people by the...whatever, and catch me...if you really want to. I know you can. I'm not that fast.
A bit over two years ago, I wrote a little thing I called the prime mover. The gist of it was that it always seems people say...we have to get together, or we have to go do this or that, but unless someone picks up the ball and starts to make things happen, nothing ever does. It's just a bunch of words. If someone does bother to start the ball rolling...to be the prime mover that gets the inertia going in a direction...any direction, everyone seems quite happy to join in. It's the getting things started that seems to be the problem. Being the driving force behind making things happen is what people shy away from and when they do, there's no driving force...and nothing happens.
I'm there with this whole bicycling thing. I started a little over a year ago, and damn, it's taken over a fair chunk of my life. That's not a bad thing. I'm a whole lot healthier than I was when I started.
When I started though, there was this friend who wanted to do it with me...and so we did. We started going on longer and longer rides, and trying to go faster and faster doing them...so we could get ready for the MS Bike ride last fall. Then he had business trips, or vacations, or whatever, and lots of excuses why he couldn't go this weekend, but call him next, and so on. Next thing you know, I called him one Friday and he asked how far I was going now. When I said 30 miles, he said he'd work on catching up to me and when he did, he'd be back. Well, that never happened.
Last fall the youngster said he wanted to start, so I backed off my regimen, so I could start slow with him. This past weekend he wasn't feeling well, so I went on my own and rode 55 miles (OK, 54.9, but who's counting). I did it partially for the workout and partially to prove to myself that I still can go 50 miles. Normally with the youngster, and/or the one other neighbor that rides with me most of the time, we're doing about 30-40 miles for now, and we're somewhere between 17 and 20 miles an hour most of the way. When the youngster balks, I have leverage though. He wanted to do this. I bought him a bike to do this. By God, he's getting up and riding. There is no "I'll catch up to you" option.
The thing is, now I have other people coming out of the woodwork...including the guy who started with me last year, and they all want to start riding. They all want me to call them when I go, and they all want to start slow. Well, c'mon people. Can you not get together without me? You know each other. You're all starting at about the same place, physically. I don't want to do 15 mile rides at 12 miles an hour now. I'm over that...twice. I, too, need the workout and I, too, want to see less of me when I look in the mirror. I, too, want the needle to hit a lower number on the scalet han alst week, and that won't happen for me doing 15 miles on a Saturday morning and not even breaking a sweat. I could maybe get you people together after I get back from my ride, but you really don't need me to do that. I ride every Saturday morning like clockwork, unless it rains, somewhere around 7:30 or 8:00. You don't need a phone call for that. You know it's happening, and you know how far and fast I plan on going. I make a terrible nag, and if you're motivated, you know what to do. Be there if you want a piece of that. In the meantime, can't one of you step up to the plate and start calling people on Fridays and do your own Saturday morning thing, and when you work it up to 40 miles and can go at a decent pace, call me then? Can someone else start that ball rolling? I'd love to have more people to ride with, and I'd love to see everyone I know get healthier and live long, happy lives, but more than that, I'd love one of you people to grab the rest of you people by the...whatever, and catch me...if you really want to. I know you can. I'm not that fast.
Labels: Whining
John put this out here at 7:29 AM
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