I'm Not Dying For Points
I was chasing (or trying to chase) my riding partner up a dusty trail yesterday when it occurred to me, in the middle of mashing my pedals and sucking the warm morning wind, that I wasn't going to catch her. She had 25 yards on me, and I had 25 years on her. And then I realized that I didn't need to catch her anymore.
A month ago, a year ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, I would have broken both legs if it meant I could catch my opponent.
But grinding up that trail yesterday, I realized this woman riding in front of me wasn't my opponent, she wasn't my rival. She was just my friend. And that she was on her journey ... and I was on mine.
We live in a competitive society. We choose to exercise in a competitive format. But it's all kind of crazy, right? It doesn't really matter if I beat you or you beat me. Well, that is, unless you're Camille Leblanc-Bazinet and I'm Annie Thorisdottir and we're fighting for money. (Surprise—we're not. Wakey wakey.)
We listen to this old saying, "Men will die for points." Well, good for them.
I'm not dying for points. That's ridiculous when you think about it.
You died for points. Gee, your kids will be happy about that. Maybe you'll get a statue in the town square. "Look students, long ago, on this hill, a woman died for points." (And how do you even fill that out on the death certificate? Will life insurance still pay out?)
I'm taking that saying to the literal extreme, but you get my point. These events in our lives are only as important as we make them.
So I got beat by a young buck on the way to the top of a hill yesterday. Okay. Life went on. I was still a good and kind person when I crested the hill, after another good and kind person got there first. On another day, we might have a different finishing order. Or we won't. And I'll be okay with that too.
You have your fitness journey, and I have mine.
One isn't necessarily better than the other. One isn't more beneficial to the world. Both just are.
Can we still race? Yes. Is it okay to want to win (and to win)? Yes. And you get to smack talk too. Bonus!
Just keep in mind that it's only a temporary physical achievement, and then get back to working on the stuff that will change your life and this world into something better than what it currently is.