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New Beginnings
by John Whiteley
President 1995-1996
January 2000
Well, the New Year (not the new century, thank you, as you who read last month’s diatribe would attest) has come. And, since you’re reading this, the dreaded Y2K Bug didn’t eat all the bits and bytes. Assuming, of course, that Daisy didn’t have to hand-deliver this month’s issue after copying it page by page, in longhand. And also assuming that you’re not reading it by the light of a kerosene lantern in the storm shelter of your basement. No, even though Yr. Obd’t. Svt. is writing this in the dead of December, he’s making the assumption that January 1, 2000 will be pretty much the same as December 31,1999, except for the massive global hangover. (And the "dead of December" is actually a joke, since this article is being written as we sail peacefully south along the Bahamian islands of Great Abaco and Eleuthra, on our way to San Juan for Feliz Navidad.)
But what do many, if not most, people do when faced with the prospect of a New Year? Why, they make resolutions, of course. Resolutions that are usually broken once the party-induced euphoria has passed and the headache (also party-induced) has come and gone. This month we’re not going to talk about resolutions. We’re going to talk about new beginnings.
Yr. Obd’t Svt. knows all about new beginnings. After all, every voyage has a beginning, and it seems as if every voyage is different. Even though we keep plying the briny blue between the same two ports, different weather conditions, different sailing times, and even different in-port schedules make every voyage unique. Even piloting the tug and barge down the St. Johns River in Jacksonville is different every time, as the current and its resulting actions on the ship will change every voyage. Many is the time that we’ve gone past the Intercoastal Waterway Intersection by Mile Point, a particularly tricky part of the river, and when the pilot and I have regained control of the barge we’ll remark to each other, "Every voyage is different!"
Cycling was also a new beginning. When Yr. Obd’t. Svt. first took up the sport it was primarily for health reasons. The blood pressure was so high that a stroke was looming on the horizon, and the extra 60 lbs of fat being carried around the middle was going to lead to heart problems, diabetes, or worse. Cycling saved me from severe health problems and an almost certain early grave.
Yr. Obd’t. Svt. also knows about new beginnings in another, more persona way. Recently and very unexpectedly, I experienced a drastic change in my family status. The Christmas season looked as if it was going to be particularly bleak. My anniversary was, after all, Christmas Day (okay, who called me a sentimental old fool?) and not only was it going to be spent at sea, but there was no longer going to be a reason for celebration. Christmas, which used to be the most wondrous and loving time of the year, was going to just be another day.
Except for cycling.
No, there’s still no way to pedal my bicycle on the water. The training stand will have to do until my return to Chattanooga. It was the friendship and support of those great people whom I’ve met over the years through cycling who got me through a very depressing period of my life. There were the folks I met on the cross-country missions trip who formed a prayer support group, and also gave me verbal encouragement and sustained me through the rough times. There were the folks from the Chattanooga Bicycle Club who also encouraged me and gave me a positive outlet where I could channel my energies and look toward the bright side of the situation. There was even the owner of my favorite bicycle shop who stopped being a retailer and only acted as a friend when one was needed. And there was cycling itself. Just the pure act of getting out on the roads, alone with my thoughts and with enough time without distraction to sort things out, was a blessing.
The situation also gave me a chance to renew an old friendship, one that was once promising but that had, for one reason or another, atrophied over twenty years or so. And, glory be!, this old friend is also a cyclist! The old/new friend will, in one way or another, undoubtedly make a better ending to the story of my life.
So don’t make resolutions this year - look toward new beginnings, and seize them wherever you may find them. Don’t resolve to ride your bike more, just get out and ride and see where that action brings you. New health, new friends, and possibly a whole new outlook on life are yours for the grasping. You just have to go out and do it. Hopefully, you’ll find your nirvana with the rest of us, on a bicycle.
Have fun, don’t fall
John
