OK, so I meant to get the Magpie post Part 2 up this morning, but I’m not done yet, and want to catch a pre-dawn night-ride this morning, so I’m just going to post this whiny, self-centered filler post today, and then finish the Magpie post tomorrow. Honest. And it’ll be totally worth the wait because it’ll include science and philosophy and anatomy and evolution and amazing factoids and tangents about pets and Star Trek and you’ll read it and you’ll laugh and you’ll cry and it’ll be better than Cats and will Fundamentally Change Your Life*.
*Not really, but it’ll be a cool post anyway.
The Current Drama In My Personal Life
So for today’s Filler, let’s talk about me, and the Current Drama In My Personal Life.
Pretend that you came home from work one night, and you gathered your spouse and children together, And you explained to them that even though you loved them and had had a wonderful life together, you were going to leave them for another spouse and some other kids, who, while not really better people than they, had goals and likes and plans for the coming year that were a little closer to your goals and like and plans, and so you’re sorry but you’re leaving.
Man, that would suck, huh? And you’d feel really bad about it, and it would be totally appropriate that you felt really bad, because if you did that you would be a Way Big Jerk*.
*I used a worse word here initially (part of the anatomy, starting with the letter "A".) But I'm on this thing where I'm trying to to clean up the blog language because Bird Whisperer has been asking questions about the blog and I know it's just a matter of time till he reads a post...
OK, now think about how you’d feel and then lessen that by 2 orders of magnitude, so you only felt about 1% as bad. Clearly that wouldn’t be the end of the world, and you’d get over it and all, but you still probably wouldn’t feel great about it right then, would you? And maybe you'd still feel like just a teensy-weensy bit of a jerk...
That 1%-as-bad is pretty much exactly the feeling you get when you switch bike-racing teams.
That’s right, I switched teams. It wasn’t in the plans, but I got an unexpected invite last week. If it were from any other team I would’ve said thanks-but-no-thanks, but this is the one team that made me pause. I like and respect these guys; they’ve got a great Cat3 core group, one I’ve worked with and against before, including in some of the races I’ve covered in this blog, such as High Uintas Classic (Tyler2) and Tour de Park City (Perry, Josh, Legendary Courtney.)
So it would’ve been an easy switch, except that I already had a great team, with strong, loyal teammates who supported and sacrificed for me many times on the race course over the past 2 years. So this past weekend I was more or less the Hamlet of bike-racing, changing my mind at least 5 times. But late Monday, after countless emails and phone calls, I made up my mind: in 2010 I’ll be riding for Wright Medical Team Cycling. I’m excited and already motivated for another year full of training and racing.
In the bigger picture, when I step back and look at things, I know this is just life. People are always forming, changing and shifting teams, coalitions and alliances. We do it when we change jobs, when we move, and as we change and develop new goals and interests. Most other primates do, too. So do dolphins.
Know what else does? Magpies.
I can see how changing teams would be awkward and troubling. I'm sure you handled it well.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of the Wright Medical team. Are they new, or is the name new but an old team, or am I just clueless (very likely)?
KKris- Team Wright is small (I’m #13) and all Cat 3’s and 4’s. Given the small #’s and that a few live outside of SL valley, you don’t see the kits around town nearly as often as you do Contender, Barbacoa, Porcupine, or even Spin jerseys. The kit is dark gray, with sort of a textured/honeycombed pattern, and says WRIGHT in the center front & back of the jersey.
ReplyDeleteJust like changing jobs, or moving out of a friendly neighborhood, or telling a housemate they need to find a new place to live, it's an awkward transition. But I beseech you not to compare it to the emotional upheaval of leaving your family. SO not the same thing. You had me worried for a minute!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the new team. I'm sure you did the "Wright" thing. (ack)
Whew, you had me worried that you were leaving your family for an instant there... Better make sure that AW knows what this post is about before she starts reading it!
ReplyDeleteIt does suck when you have to abandon a group that you actually liked and have nothing against. It's like changing jobs, not because you hate your first job but because you get offered a better one. Way to go - it sounds like you'll have fun next season and your old team will understand.
Kori, KB- Sorry to spook you! I assure you that all is well on the Watcher-stead, and that would be the furthest thing from my mind.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I can't rule out the possibility that the Watcher family will someday ditch me- most likely after the dozenth or so stop on one of our many road-trips to check out some flower, bird or bug.
That's how come I never leave the keys in the ignition.