Payoffs

Though I was born in Ohio, we moved to Southern California when I was but a wee lad. At the time, So Cal was a great place to grow up. During my college days down there I listened to “A Prairie Home Companion,” a fictional radio show that was broadcast on Saturday nights live from Minnesota. Listening to that show all year long, I was struck by the sense of relief and rejoicing that came with spring. After enduring a long winter, the coming of spring with its promises of hope, the infinite shades of green, the fresh smells and the return to life outside, was very different than my life in So Cal. The perpetual summer and lack of seasons created the “everything, right now” mentality that defines So Cal to this day.

In the late eighties after I moved to Washington with our dark wet winters, I understood firsthand the payoff that comes following a long winter. No matter how many springs I live through, there are always surprises and I often see my life reflected by the seasons around me.

After such a long time, it is scary to contemplate; Hottie is back on the bike and we went 20 miles last Saturday. As the weather and her strength both improve, we will get to share more of the fun that brought us together in the first place.

The days and my rides are getting longer and warmer so I get to ride wearing fewer and fewer layers. As a result of those miles, my pants fit looser and I can climb better and go faster, longer. Climbs that I had to endure in January are fun now. The training plan that was conceived and then commenced in the dark of winter is bringing me fitness in the middle of spring.

Our pup Tux is a full of life and is happiest when he gets to walk a couple times a day. While it is still too early to walk in the evenings wearing flip flops and shorts, I don’t have to don a wool chapeau anymore. While I love my warm clothing, I love putting it away even more.

My oldest son is seeing payoffs in his personal, and soon his professional, life as well. Growing up with a work ethic that hard work precedes the payoff, it is good to see the principle in play.