what are you chasing?

[Climb01742]

in life, and sports, we all chase things. bigger things, better things, different things. the grass always looks greener someplace. what are you still chasing? what have you stopped chasing? and how closely is happiness/contentment connected to our chases, or lacks of chases?

i'm still chasing...
1. better fitness
2. losing 5 pounds
3. money (i admit it)
4. doing my job better
5. a 911
6. a better heart, a more accepting heart
7. best sushi in the world
8. peace with getting older
9. letting go of vanity
10. neat bike bits (including a sachs, damn you e-richie, you slow poke!)


i'm not chasing...
1. hair restoration
2. love (luckily, very luckily, i've found it in my S.O. and my daughter)
3. a better, bigger home
4. friends (i'm damn happy with the handful of great ones i have)
5. the acceptance of others
6. a pro sports contract (ok, gave that up at 14)
7. pleasing my parents
8. being a perfect parent, just doing the best i can at a given moment
9. cheap sex (damn!)
10. "male enhancement" (geez, do guys need to feel any MORE insecure about that than we already do?)

[dohearne]

Great List! I only have one to add...for the flyfisherman among us I am still chasing the perfect drift.

[Dr. Doofus]

Chasing

1) Being a good husband to Mrs. Doofus

2) The reputation of being the best 10th grade writing teacher in Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools...ok, maybe not the best, but the Dario-on-the-cutting-edge-kind-of-crazy-but-it-really-really-really-works guy, the guy who gets filet mignon results out of flank steak talent....

3) My old Cat 2 fitness (at 37, I don't know if she can make it...insert Scotty quote here)

4) One, ok maybe two more bikes, but without compromising 1, above.

5) Being smarter than my dog


Stopped Chasing

1) A rep as a songwriter...just don't have the time....

2) A private school job. public ed is where its at, for this Doc.

3) Anything carbon or ti

4) Racing results

5) Being smarter than my dog

[Kevin]

Still chasing:

1) Being a better spouse

2) Being a better parent.

Kevin

[pale scotsman]

it's the 24 year old red head ER nurse at work. She's going to be my 2nd future ex-wife though she doesn't know it just yet. :banana: :banana: :banana:

[dbrk]

This is a very interesting question, Climb, because this week I was confronted with a very serious choice about what I really want...May I explain?

We live on some 15 beautiful acres overlooking the Bristol Hills in the Finger Lakes of western New York. For as far as you can see there are nothing but farms and green valleys. Our "front yard" is 31 acres of entirely unspolit forest and field. It went up for sale while we were away in Italy. While I have been psychologically preparing for that day, the reality is simple: to own this land and thereby guarantee that it remain empty and upspoilt I would have to spend near my life savings. What does this mean for my children's college? for the security we have? for the legacy I will likely leave a wife who is much younger than I am? What is important to me? We closed the deal this week and the closing is before the end of June. I hope this place indeed becomes a small refuge for nature and those who seek a place away from the travails of responsible worldliness. God ain't makin' any more land, that's true, but for every decision, good or bad, there are serious implications, no? So to the question:

Still chasing:
Time
---to read all that I have ever aspired to master: the complete works of Abhinavagupta, Shakespeare, Tu Fu, Plato and Aristotle, Newton and DaVinci, and Tson-kha-pa (the list goes on and on...) and to imbibe all that greatness has to offer.
---to write a book worthy of my teachers
---to spend more with my children, wife, and loved ones
---to ride, endless miles on empty roads with beautiful landscapes
---to see peace and prosperity for more than myself

No longer chasing:
---Kelos and Teemay (or in Sanskrit, Yashas and Artha) better known as
"fame and fortune"
---Love because it has found me...lucky me, eh?
---A "better" bicycle...not so long as I own the Sachs, Rivendell, Mariposa, Singer, Herse, Hampsten, and Serotta's CSi...and lucky enough not to have to choose among them which is "better"...
---command of a First Rate on the order of Nelson's HMS Victory


dbrk

[dnovo]

Whirled Peas. Dave N.

[Elefantino]

Great lists, all.

Me? Easy. Still chasing:
1) Every minute of every hour of every day. Trying to live 25 in 24 is a constant yet rewarding challenge.

No longer chasing:
1) The big ring. I've got all I want, although if someone offered me a Hors, I might weaken. :rolleyes:

And to answer Climb's other question, chasing good things is always good. Chasing things don't matter is a waste of energy. Certain life events have a way of correcting your perspective.

BTW, I had a great ride this morning. Hope you all did too.

:banana:

[Sandy]

Still Chasing:

1. Being a better husband.
2. Being a better father
3. Being a more caring and sensitive person to others.
4. Spending more time at the shelter walking and caring for the dogs.
5. Losing 25 pounds or so.
6. Becoming a better cyclist- in all aspects of road riding.
7. Being a better friend to those friends I have.
8. Being a better family member.
9. Trying to not be too sensitive to what people say to me.
10.Trying to solve my lack of energy problem.
11. Realizing I am worth more and possess more than I give myself credit for.
12. Maintaining my excellent health.

No longer chasing:

1. Explaining why I ride an Ottrott ST.
2. A meaningful friendship that I lost and still don't really understand why.

I guess that I really never chased very much. I seem to be satisfied with what I have.

[Sandy]

I will always be chasing Carbon Calfee Kevan until I capture him completely.

Oh Kevan, Oh Kevan, where are you my sweet pea.......?


So Sweet So Serotta Sandy

[Kevan]

and he was doing so well... until he included me!

I'm not chasing anything. I work as much as I want to work and play as much as I can. I try to spend as much time as possible with my wife and kids.
I suppose I could be accused of nipping at my kids to do better in their school work. And I quietly nudge my wife to exercise more and find a passion as terrific as I've found cycling.

As for Sandy's friendship...

as long as he stops trying to stroke my knee, we can be best of pals. :D

[Kevin]

Kevan,

I don't think it is your knee that Sandy is trying to stroke.

Kevin

[BumbleBeeDave]

I'm still your friend! ;) You haven't lost me!

And what on earth is an "Abhinavagupta?"

BBDave

[shinomaster]

1) True love in convenient cute girl form
2) A ceramics studio in which to work
3) motivation to get a new career
4) Hamada Shoji pots
5) Uma Thurman
6) Jeannie Baca
7) some chick named Jessi I met at a party, damn she was cute..
8) Cortney
9) My old joint health...and no I ain't talkin bout reefer.
10) the perfect bike that actually fits and rides well and doesn't cost too much ( I'm more likely to get a date with Uma..)
11) Hermin Miller furniture
12) Parmasan Reggiano that is fresh and not stale...
13) cool music

no longer chasing ,

Holly Hooper

[Louis]

I’m with Douglas on this one. The one thing that bothers me most of all is not having enough time to do all the things I would like to do. Whether it time for more cycling related stuff or reading or gardening or combing the cats (they're shedding like crazy these days), or whatever, there always seem to be too few hours in life for it all.

Years ago I did the obvious stuff like pitch the TV, so I would not waste time with the boob tube, but boy, when time is gone you never get it back. I don’t know if it’s my imagination, or not, but as you get older it only seems to go faster.

Maybe I should stop surfing the web – that might gain me a few hours a week…

By the way, Douglas, congrats on the real estate purchase. If you can reasonably afford it, improving your home and life by guaranteeing a wonderful environment around you is certainly worth doing. I too hope to some day improve on my little 3 acre lot in the woods. We’ll see how things work out.

Louis

[Ken Robb]

I think I would have this opinion even if I were not a real estate broker: You have preserved your dream home/environment for the enjoyment and emotional enrichment of you, your family and your friends. Your position with the university probably provides a good retirement package including healthcare so a big bank account may not be needed. Amy was doing fine financially before she met you. She could do so again if she had to. We all know there are lots of ways that a kid can pay for her own education if she really wants and deserves one. Had you passed on this acquisition you might not have ever had a chance to "UN-ring" the bell and regain your slice of heaven. A buyer might have turned his backyard, your front yard into a moto-cross course. In the future if you and your family decide that you need something else more than your land you will have the luxury of making that call yourselves. You can sell all or a part of it for those needs. I've known people who bought a piece of land just so they could add deed restrictions to it to ensure that they would never have noxious activities or development nxt door. Well-located real estate will probably be the best item in your portfolio in the long term. How about a family compound with kids/grandkids?
Good move, Douglas!!!

[oracle]

i am frequently accused of chasing my own tail. come to think of it, i have chased alot of other people's tails as well.

oracle

[shinomaster]

Why would you chase your own tail if you have four girlfriends?

so strange. :confused: :confused: :confused:

[oracle]

variety is the spice of life.

[Russell]

i'm chasing my two boys around the yard

i'm not chasing 18-year old girls