The world is a roller-coaster and I am not strapped in.
Maybe I should hold with care,but my hands are busy in the air. -Brandon Boyd
The triathlon season opened well for myself and my teammates this past weekend at the “Rumpus” in Bumpass, Virgina. Racing a triathlon is like a roller-coaster of unpredictability, and that’s exactly what makes it so exciting. Not only do the conditions of the race depend highly upon weather temperature, water temperature and winds, but other technical problems could happen at any moment with a bike malfunction, tire blowout, cycle collision or leg cramps on the post-bike run from a flawed racing nutrition plan. Every curve, hill and person you pass on the course is like a wild card — anything could happen at anytime, and this is exactly what makes a race so very exhilarating.
I like how Friedrich Nietzche talks about this type of fun, un-contained type of living: “The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously.” I recognize that a sprint triathlon isn’t necessarily “dangerous” living, but it is living outside of one’s control and it is when we relinquish control of circumstances that we can finally reap the fruitfulness and freedom that life really has to offer.
Put your hands in the air this week on your roller-coaster of life. Stop stressing what you can’t control and start living a life of unbound enjoyment.