Success and Happiness

When we were on the Atlantic back in 2005, Kohl and I talked quite a bit about all aspects of life. Mostly we talked about trivial stuff that seemed very important at the time... like the first thing we were going to eat when we got back to land or how we really, really wanted it to snow, but we did, at times, delve a bit into philosophy and life. One of the most memorable conversations that we had out there revolved around success and failure. What defined success and failure, and what our biggest successes and failures up to that point had been. Being a very positive person, I hadn't ever thought of my "failures" up until then, but when I looked back, I realized that I had failed numerous times in many aspects of my life. For the most part, I had always learned from them, rose above them to become successful, and never gave them a second thought, but they had always been there whether I had acknowledged them or not. And then came the capsize. The big failure that I could not put past me or rise quickly above. Since January 16th, 2006, I have not been the same. Finally, I was presented with a failure that would test my character. A problem that, looking over the stern of the Stavros 20 feet above the vast Atlantic, I knew was going to haunt me until we finished our dream. The American Fire dream. For the past year and a half, I have been forced to think about success and failure and what they really mean to me. Knowing that we will be out on the ocean again in just over a month makes me so incredibly happy. After two years, we are being given the chance to succeed and rise above the failed first attempt, and in spite of all of the stress that goes into preparation, I could not be happier or more at peace, knowing that we will be rowing into the arms of our families in English Harbour in just a few short months.

The past week was a whirlwind. With less than a month left Stateside, I'm busting my butt in all aspects of life to ensure that I am not sacrificing one dream for another. Long days at the lab and TEM facility definitely showed on Tuesday night during my game against Angel's Taco Technique. My mind and body were exhausted, and we ended up losing a game we could have easily won in the right mindset. The hard work in the lab did pay off though in a successful lab meeting on Friday. Success and failure, hand in hand.

By the end of my presentation on Friday, I was in dire need of the weekend. Friday evening and Saturday were spent alternating between rest and preparations for finishing Unfinished Business. By Saturday evening, I was fully recovered from the long week, and went out with Suda and Dave and a whole bunch of rugby guys to watch ASU defeat Cal and bar hop around Mill Ave. in our kid-size Halloween costumes (I have definitely gotten my money's worth out of the Wonderwoman costume). We made quite a night of it, and squeezed as much fun in as we could until the bars closed.

Sunday is usually a happy day for me, and this past weekend was no exception. I slept until noon, which was the most beautiful thing. I will probably not get a chance to do that again for the next year or so (at least it seems that way sometimes). When I woke up, I made french toast and spiced apples, and just sat around reading Tony Dungy's book, Quiet Strength for a good hour while listening to some good tunes. My entire music collection is now on iTunes in preparation for the iPod, and it was a very relaxing and enjoyable way to start off the day. I then headed out to the Tempe Library to check out several audiobooks to load onto iTunes, and then finished off the afternoon with a long bike ride on the Greenbelt. Since I had never been to the end of it, I decided to bike all the way through Scottsdale on the gorgeous trail bordering parks and canals, and giving me an incredible view of the McDowell's and Four Peaks behind them. Even though it was a record 94 degrees out, it still felt like fall with the ash trees at least changing color and a cooler breeze coming off the small lakes along the trail. I rode hard for an hour and finally came to Shea Blvd, where the nice paved trail ended. I tried to continue riding, as it appeared that the city was in the process of continuing the trail past Shea, but after I rode through the dirt under a road (read, drainage area for the wash) and ended up in a cemetery, I figured that it was time to turn around. I took the return ride a bit easier, taking in the sights and sounds of the East Valley. It made me happy to watch young families biking along with toddlers in training wheels, older couples sitting on benches feeding the ducks, kids playing hide and seek among the mesquite, and people of all ages playing everything from soccer to disk golf. With the sun sinking low over Camelback, the light bounced off the clouds to form sun dog rainbows and bounced off of the fountains to create a beautiful backdrop to my ride home.

It's times like that when I really, truly feel happy. My life is going very well right now despite all of the hustle and bustle during the week. Plans are in place to finishing dreams and I have the support of my family and friends. At this point in my life, I couldn't really ask for much more. I'm a simple kid, and simple things like the peacefulness of an urban bike ride into the sunset really make me happy. No matter what happens in my life with big and small failures and successes, if I can enjoy simple days like Sunday, then it makes it all worth it.

And now, back to another busy week...