Lasting Impresson

In a time when business is slow and management is struggling to come up with different ways of stimulating revenue, I bore witness recently to a major reason why I believe y'all are floundering.

I was called to our Canmore office to do a single rental and since it means time away from our desk in Banff, I agreed to do it. The rental went smoothly enough and another satisfied customer drove off in one of our vehicles. I then started to close down the shop and warm up a vehicle for the fifteen minute drive back to Banff.

As I fired up the GMC Acadia and was clearing snow off the back window, a Japanese lady walked over to me from her van. In broken English she tried to explain to me that it was not starting. Knowing that she was a guest of the hotel where our location was, I thought to simply refer her to the front desk. But my SUV was still warming up so I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a look.

With a simple twist of the keys I knew that I was dealing with a weak battery. And as I turned to inform the lady I caught a glimpse of three child seats strapped to the middle row of seats in the back of the van. From those three child seats, three pairs of eyes staired back at me: three pairs of eyes that belonged to three little kids. They had been sitting in a cold van and with the doors now open it was only getting colder.

She needed a boost and thankfully she had a basic pair of booster cables in her van. Well I had the mighty Acadia on hand so I figured I'd simply give her a jump start and be on my way. At this point I noted a group of hotel staff linning up for their smoke break a few feet away from us. I also noted that none of them were bothering to offer assistance to me or the lady who was standing closer to them.

The van "jumped" nicely after a quick boost and I advised the lady to let her van run for a few minutes before attempting to drive off. As I walked back to the Acadia two of the smoking staff members walked over to me and made some comments regarding what they had witnessed...

"One thing about North American vehicles is they always start in the winter."

"Yeah that battery is dead."

"You sure she can drive? Looks like she stalled again."

Not once was there an inquiry of the lady's well being or an expression of care concerning it. I couldn't help but think that this was their guest and not even an existing or potential client of mine. Not once had they done anything of their own to resolve the situation. I looked over where the van and moved and sure enough she had stalled. I figured it was because she decided to drive off so soon. I ran over to her window and she looked up at me with a bewildered, frustrated, and defeated look on her face.

"I can boost it again but maybe you should let it run for a bit. " I said. "Where do you live?"

"A little bit away from Canmore."

"Good. Let me help you take the kids inside because it is cold."

"I can call my husband."

"Yes do that."

"But he is working today I don't think he can leave. He is working in Banff!"

"Thats ok we will boost your van and I can follow you home!'

"Oh thank you!!"

We got the kids out and she was able to go inside with them to make her call. I got the van boosted and moved it to a safe area (it had stalled just before entering the main road). I ran back inside to see if she was able to to make her call. She had. I ran back outside to see if the van was still running.

And there they were watching me the whole time. None of them even offering to help with the kids. And then...

"Hey there is flat tire on one of your cars."

I hadn't noticed. It was fine when I had checked it in a few days ago.

"You need to move it. Creates the wrong impression of our hotel."

White hot anger boiled inside of me. I stared him down. I kept my silence. He lowered his eyes.

20 minutes later I helped the lady and her kids back into her van. I followed her home. She did live a bit outside of town but I informed our office in Banff that I would be a bit late and why.

When she pulled into her driveway she jumped out of the van and with tears in her eyes she ran over to my driver side window. She then proceeded to thank me profusely by bowing low. I told her that she needed a new battery but if she needed a vehicle right away she could call us and I would find something for her. I drove off without even leaving her my number. Our business was in the phone book.

Out of spite, I waited to put the spare on our car and move it till the next day. I am sure the "impression" that the hotel was hoping to preserve remained intact.

It certainly is staying with me.

WE + 1

My wife is soundly sleeping in our bed this morning and I have snuck down to the living room to review the Lesson Study for today and fire off one of these blog entries. Writing is one of my therapies and I've been neglecting this blog for while. So much has happened in the past week or so. For one, we have been experiencing extreme weather out here in the Canadian Rockies. And for another, the news of WE + 1 has definitely began to reshape our lives in dramatic but amazing ways. [ see below: How we celebrated the news!]

I for one wanted to keep the news under wraps for a while. To me this was a family matter and hence a private thing. We also are still in a very delicate part of the pregnancy, and while we have faith that says when God gives us a gift He will sustain it, God only knows the ultimate breath and scope of His plan. But alas the news got leaked and found ourselves being showered with much appreciated congrats from all over. Ah the power of Facebook! Might as well embrace it for it is here to stay.

Speaking of Facebook, I posted something a few days ago which I still feel holds true to how I am truly starting to look at things in all aspects of my life...

Something kicks in when you realize you are going to be Dad.
Suddenly half-hearted efforts really annoy you.
This sh*t is serious boys and girls.
I am through joking around.

I see it now more than ever especially in how I approach my job. If this is how I am going to provide for my family, at least for the next little bit, then I want there to be no question as to my ability, work ethic, and commitment to be better every day as well as being excellent in the moment. And yes, I do find it particularly annoying when people do a lot of talking and yet cannot back up what they say with actions. Just shut up and impress me with your actions!

I have more comments on issues on all levels that have occurred in the past few weeks but I will continue in future blogs. Suffice it to say for now that I cannot change people but I sure can control my reaction to what they bring to the table.

Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the realization that there is something more important beyond it.

My Father's Birthday.

As I gave both my parents a hug this afternoon and waved to them as they drove off to Calgary, I felt a wave of nostalgia which heightened later when Tess visited some of her friends and I opted to stay home to take a nap. I miss them. This is a good thing.

Tomorrow is my Dad's 65th birthday and as I looked at him and observe his interactions with friends, my wife, and my mom... I am grateful to God that he is still healthy, strong, and filled with vitality. Even in retirement he is willing to throw in a helping hand, an ecouraging word, but also crack a joke here and there. I understand now where my younger sister's wit comes from. I recognize my older sister's work ethic. My siblings and I are made from the same ingredients... just mixed in different concentrations.

The picture above is particularly touching. My mom suggested it. My Dad agreed. I think they are happy because the bike is a symbol of me taking my health seriously once again. The picture is touching to me because my parents gave me my first serious bike back when I was about 15 years old.

The thing that I love about my father is that he has allowed me to see his human side. I have been witness to his struggles. But he has also shown me what it is to rise above and that this is only possible through a trusting relationship with God. For doubters (of which I have been one many a time) I present him: a person who not only preaches salvation, but has lived it.

Ride on Homies...

So now that Alberto Contador stands accused of doping more and more people are giving up on the sport of cycling. Frankly I don't blame them. I too find it disheartenning when one by one the elite of cycling continue to stain the sport with their actions. It makes one wonder how much of the spectacle that is the peleton in full flight is "real". Alberto is now threatening to retire from the sport. Maybe it is just as well.

This does not change my love of the sport - I who never made it past the grassroots level. There is something pure about clipping into your pedals on cool fall morning, heading out onto the road, and establishing a brisk pace as the kms roll away. I fell in love when I was 15 and even though there have been extended periods when I have not ridden, I have always come back.

I am grateful for all the support I have recieved on Facebook for my awkward re-entry into riding. But probably the one that means the most is the support from my "old" friend Mark Aguila whom I have known since my pre-teen years. It was Mark's and his brother Shem's influence that got me into riding back in the day. However it was Mark who joined me on my last official ride in California back in the fall of 1990. It was a short trek through the grapevines of Clovis and it is one of my most cherished childhood memories.

Now I love my bike but Mark recently picked up a beautiful GT Carbon racer complete with Zipp wheels (he paid an incredable price for them Good goin' bro!) that totally blew me away when he first posted pictures up of it. [see below]

No matter what the results are in the cases against Alberto Contador and even Lance Armstrong, the sport lives on. Those of us who ride know that it was the magic of discovering that we could pretty much go anywhere on just two wheels that got us started and it is what lies beyond the horizon that keeps us going.

Ride on my homies!

Turning Thanksgiving into Thanksliving...

It is that time of year when Canadians take a moment to think about what they are grateful for. I am proud of my adopted homeland. As I look back on this year, I find myself thinking that I have indeed been blessed in so many ways. But what follows are things that I am most thankful for.

My Wife

It pains me to see her work so hard so that she can take care of her family in the Phillippines. It saddens me when I seen how some of them appear to not even be grateful for her hard efforts. Canada isn't the Promise Land. You have to work very hard here to make it.

When I see her fall into bed beside me after giving the day her all, I can only hope that one day we will be in a position where she will not have to work so hard or at all. She takes good care of me in her own way and although sometimes I am blind to see how but I get it more and more each day.

My Siblings

Along with my parents, they are part of the few constant things in my life. I hate that we are so far apart from each other these days but I am grateful for generious Wireless Plans and Facebook that keep us connected. I want nothing but good things for them and I pray they continue down the road to thriving and prospering.

My Parents

As I get older and hopefully wiser, I can see that I have been truly blessed to have these dear people as my parents. I realize with passing day what they tried to give me and how much they sacrificed to do so. I can only hope that one day soon I can show them hat I am grateful and that their efforts were not in vain.

Friends

They are few and far between these days. My life has often ripped them from me and so I have gotten used to simply cutting them off. I prefer a private life. But those who have shown me kindness, treated me with disgression, and continued to encourage me are appreciated more than they know. God's greatest blessing.

This Thanksgiving will be simple and quiet. In these still moments, I thank God that I have been sustained, preserved, and blessed in ways that humble and awe me. I pray the same happens to all who read this. Take a moment to see that it is already happening to you.

Giant Defy 1: FlightDeck Complete

I stopped by the store where I picked up my bike and inquired about the prices on cycling computers. The owner pointed me to a display where a few units were sitting and I noted that the packaging on them looked a bit weathered. That was a turn off for me. I wanted something that felt new. When I looked at the prices I was furthered turned off.

$179.99!

Yeah the computer was function filled but it looked cheaply made and I was guessing the price had more to do with the fact that the Giant label was stamped on it rather than inherent build quality. If this is what these guys were charging for a cycling computer I wondered what kind of crazy prices they would charge for entry level clipless pedals or shoes. I excused myself quite rapidly.

Later in the early evening I made my way to Canmore and ended up at the Sports Experts. To my delight they had an end of season cycling equipment sale and I picked up an Wireless Cateye Vectra for off 25% the already low low low price. I think I even paid less forit than I did for the Wired Velo 5 model I mounted on my Specialized back in 2006. (Yay the march of progress!) It pretty much has the same functions of the computer I had back then, (Current Speed, Max Speed, Odometer, Current Trip, and Time) but all the data is transmitted through a wireless senor mounted on the fork of my bike.

I am very happy that my FlightDeck is complete and I already enjoy the view from the controls. I may have to wait a bit to do the next big step in getting this rig up to spec (proper clipless pedals and shoes). But it is now is ready to record my adventures and keep track of those pound losing km's that I intend to put on my steed.

This Thing.

No it isn't brand new. That is a fact that should be cleared up because the pictures I posted on Facebook are misleading in that it does look mint on the digital screen. It isn't fully carbon. The fork is and the rest is hydroformed aluminium.

It is is fast. With barely any human effort I guided it on a test run here in Banff and my breath was literally taken away at how quick and nimble it was. The mid range Shimano components performed in unison and I clicked relatively effortlessy through the gears.

I had stopped at the local bike store this past week because rumour had it that they were getting rid of their stock in preparation for winter when they transform into one of the key providers of ski equipment for the region. As I look at their offerings from Norco, Cannondale, and Giant, I was impressed with the pricing but my heart sank a bit because they were still no where close to what I could afford at the moment.

But when I went up the steps to the second level of the store, my eye caught a row of red Giant Defy 1s hanging on the far wall. They were retired rental units and they were for sale. I looked over all of them a little closely and other then some minor blemishing they were pretty mint. The price tags were very encouraging.

When my bike was stolen in Toronto in the fall of 2007 it left a hole in my life. Those of you who ride and are passionate about the sport know what I am talking about. No one messes with your rig. Whenever I think of that night I still feel this wrenching feeling in my gutt. There was a lot of negative going on in my life and my bike had been my one joy and solace. To have it taken away from me at that point was like stabbing me in the heart. Call this being overly dramatic if you will but that is truly what it felt like.


A few years have passed and life has moved on. I have taken new responsibilities. There are bills to be paid. I am not just thinking for me now. I have a wife. She wants a family soon. And with all this there are the uncertainties about whether or not I could get back into riding and bring myself to the level I was a few years ago...

But as I wheeled the bike back into the store and Tess asked me if I was going to get it I knew that I really wanted to try. It was exactly what I needed in bike. It was performance oriented but not so blatantly so. While not cheap it was well below what even cyclist would pay for a day to day rig.

I am no pro rider. Hell, I am not even that skinny kid who begged for his first bike and didn't quite believe dreams came true until his parents surprised him with with fulfilling one. I am no where close to being fit (although my body responds to cycling and I foresee a positive physical change coming. Yay!)

What I am is a guy who is one huge step closer to righting the great wrong and a guy who never lost the love of this very special, simple, and pure thing.