A great story of Carl Taylorabout biking...I came across on tumblr:
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Most of my twenties were spent trying something new, liking it for a little while, and fucking it up. The activity didn’t really matter; the cycle pretty much stayed the same. I repeated the process with college, relationships, hobbies, and career paths. But heading into my thirties, I really felt like I was hitting my stride. After failed attempts as a pro wrestler, cook, standup comic and six wasted years in the medial insurance field, I had found my “calling” working in sales. I’m damn good at selling stuff and was making a very comfortable living doing it.
Maybe three weeks after my 30th birthday I got laid off from my job. This wasn’t just a job, it was THE job in my eyes. For the first time ever, I was doing something that I could easily see myself doing for the next 35-40 years. I gladly spent 50-plus hours in the office every week just ensure I beat the other salesmen. Routinely I went out of my way to help everyone else in the office, and they saw that and appreciated it. I was respected by my coworkers and clients alike, and it felt great. It was truly my reason to get up every day.
I got laid off on a Monday morning. I grabbed my iPhone charger and pictures of my nieces and took off leaving everything else behind. I couldn’t wrap my head around the whole thing at first. Part of me was optimistic - knowing I’d land on my feet, while the other half was still in denial thinking they’d call back realizing they had made a major mistake. I spent most of the afternoon riding my bike around Charleston trying to process everything and forget everything all at once.
On Tuesday morning, I woke up early to get ready just like every other day, and about half way through my morning routine, it hit me that I had nothing to get ready for. It hit me hard, too. I sat on my couch, and I lost it. After I got all of that out of my system, I knew I needed a plan. I knew some serious soul searching was needed, so I loaded up my mountain bike and headed out to do some riding and planning. I hatched about nine plans on that ride. Some plans were far-fetched while others were practical, but after that ride I didn’t know how, but I knew things were going to be different. Things were going to be better.
Later that night I found myself laying in bed with the events from the past two days pulsing through my brain. I realized what the last two days had in common: Cycling. Looking back on my life, cycling in one form or another had always been there for me no matter what. When I was a kid and I made my parents mad, I went outside to ride bikes and get out of their hair. When I had my first girlfriend in middle school, we road beach cruisers through my neighborhood almost all summer. The list could go on for days. So many of my memories - both good and bad - involved bikes. I made a decision right then and there that no matter what direction my career ways going to take, bikes needed become a daily part of my life.
In the month since I got laid off, I’ve landed on my feet at a brand new agency. It’s only been open a month, and I’m excited to get in while it’s still young and grow with the agency. That being said, I’m not letting my job define who I am anymore. I’m not just a sales agent. I’m a son, brother, uncle, friend, and a cyclist.
I know I’ve used the Tumblr to mindlessly reblog pictures of everything from bikes and houses to clothes and girls, but I want to use it to share my love for bikes more than anything. I want to show you the amazing things I see while riding, tell you about the cool people I meet along the way, and give you tips about the towns I visit with my bike. I plan on racing the West Virginia Mountain Biking Association series this spring and bringing you guys along for the ride as well. You won’t see a whole lot about pro cycling on here because frankly I don’t give a shit about it. However I hope you will see plenty of reasons to get out on your bike and join me.
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To follow him: http://carltaylor.tumblr.com/
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