It’s Called the Lombardi Trophy for a Reason

mikemjensen Life's Truths Tags: , , , 1 Comment

Hey Kids,

It’s Friday and I’ve had a great week. Nothing special or anything, I’ve just owned each day and got some good things done. That hasn’t always been the case.

I’ve struggled. I’ve had some bad days, and I imagine I still will. This afternoon, everything could turn for the worse and be a horrible evening, a sucky weekend, and the start of a really bad week for next week. I’m not afraid. I’ve seen it all before and here I am, having a great week and day.

I have learned that the days keep coming. They come. And they come. All you have to do is keep standing up when one of them knocks you down.

I know, blah, blah, blah.

Well, it’s true. There is no mystery to it. There’s no secret answer. It’s all about what you do. How long will you stay down on the mat? Sometimes it takes a while. But you just have to get up as soon as you can.

And since you’re up, enjoy it.

getting_back_up_by_awesome159-d5iybr5 

Day 46

Connected

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Hey Kids,

I woke this morning to a comment to yesterday’s blog left from half-way around the world, from Australia. The author and I have since exchanged a few comments on each other’s blogs and as fate would have it, he’s a motorcycle guy.

I find it amazing the reach that an individual can have. The world has become so small in terms of communication. One’s words can find themselves from a little apartment in Utah to any place in the world. To be alone or isolated seems an impossible feat anymore.map_of_the_internet_by_tophthetomboy-d348wf0

And yet, despite the close proximity all IP addresses share, we are able to be individuals now more than ever. To be unique, to embrace a relatively minority passion such as a motorcycle is OK. I can still be Mike from Utah, an American. I can still have my own ideas of how everything works and yet still find commonality with others on small specific topics. If someone is adamantly opposed to me, they can move along. Life’s too short to bicker.

It’s an incredible world we live in. The more we connect, the less we want to remain separate. The more we understand different points of view, the less we care if we’re red or blue. The more we discuss what we love and learn what others love, the less we need to discuss what we dislike.

Even with all the trouble in the world, this, I believe, is a great time to be a part of it. And the makings are here to make it even better for the future.

I hope we use our new possibilities to broaden friendships and expand humanity. I hope I get to meet more of the world.

 

Day 45

Ride Like the Mailman

mikemjensen Motorcycles Tags: , , , 2 Comments

Hey Kids,

Winter tried to make a little comeback today. Late winter that is. The temperatures dropped close to the 30’s and snow fell, then rain, and then snow/rain.

I knew it was supposed to be a bad weather day, but when I headed out in the morning, it didn’t seem too bad. No precipitation, no bone-chilling cold; it was going to be a fine riding day. I slipped on my typical spring riding wear (which is the same as the summer riding wear but with an extra couple of layers underneath) and headed out early this morning.

Around 10ish this morning, I peeked a quick look outside. Snow.

This is what happens when you ignore the forecast. I’d just wait it out.

Around 4, the skies were a light grey, the snow had mostly melted. The wet roads had drained off a bit, and I saw my opportunity.

I began my trip home and it was to say the least pleasant. A few raindrops sprinkled down, but nothing to get wet over. (Pun). So I thought I might as well stop and do some grocery shopping on the way home, grab some items for dinner. I casually shopped and made no haste.

I exited the store to full-on rain. I was mostly wet by the time I reached and loaded the bike. Rain turned to snow, wet turned to wetter, and traffic turned from flowing to slowing.

A long ride later, I reached home drenched.

I could’ve made the trip a lot nicer for myself. Rain gear. Hurrying home. Both would’ve paid dividends. But then again, there’d be no adventure.11211_625372357528266_1248429372_n

Riding a motorcycle full time, is adventurous. Everyone pictures the sunny summer days, motor revving, hair flowing, and being cool. But MC riding, true MC riding, means facing all the elements. And I’m not complaining.

I love the bike. I love the pros and the cons. I love the sun. I love the rain. The sun a little more, granted. But it all is part of the game.

If you’re going to ride, don’t short yourself and be a fair weather rider. Experience it all. Soak it all in. Let the ride seep down to the bone.

Ride. Ride. Ride.

 

Day 44

Sad Monday

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Hey Kids,

A person I’ve known for many years passed this weekend to a sudden heart attack. The news hit hard this morning as people returned to work and got the news. It happened so sudden.

I won’t pretend that we were great friends or that had I not been told, it might be some time before our paths would have crossed in a way that I would have asked where he had gone, but it would’ve happened. And I would be just the same shocked and saddened as I am today.

Jon always made me smile when our paths did cross. He always bore a smile and if you spent any amount of time with him, you were blessed with a story of some sort. Or at least an encounter that became your story of Jon.

He was not young but he wasn’t old. It’s a reminder that life isn’t fair. It’s just life. One day you have it; the next day you might not.554925_254007258045735_1617470083_n

I don’t want to cheapen my thoughts today by spelling out the obvious lesson. But I will say, I’m hearing it in my head.

 

Day 42

Once Bitten, Twice Frozen

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Hey Kids,

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is said to be the definition of insanity. I guess I’m insane.ride 4-4-15

I have now tried to ride twice to and towards Idaho despite the early season and both times I’ve expected, nay, hoped, the ride would be warm or warmish. Both times I have been met with cold reality. Both times started in the sunshine and progressed into a grey, cold northern sky filled with cold Idaho air.

I might be insane, but I believe if I keep trying, this cold streak will change.

The worth and enjoyment of the ride was worth every shiver and frozen finger. I shared the ride with my brother and picked up my girl and brought her back home.

Ride on, I say; the cold is but for a few hours yet the memory of the ride will last a lifetime.

That rule actually applies to many things.

 

Day 40

Pony Express April 3, 1860

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Hey Kids,

Today is the 155th anniversary to the beginning of the Pony Express.11091219_745659045547218_8470744831674224782_n

The Pony Express only lasted about a year and a half but not because they were unsuccessful. The exchange of horses and riders could carry the mail from St Louis to California in just 10 days. Only one mail bag was lost in that time, and the cost wasn’t prohibitive to use. The problem was simply that the future happened. The birth of the telegraph made 10 days as slow as the wagons before the Express.

Yet the legend of the Express lives on. I am captivated by the grit the riders had to have. The stories of the station keepers, the rugged, desolate places through which the trail passed; they all beg me to wonder if I would have the ability to tough it out.

The pioneering spirit is no different than the pioneers of today. Stretching the possibilities and doing what others never even imagined. Changing the world and pushing it forward. Without the Pony Express, the telegraph would have been delayed at best and seen as not needed at worse. The telegraph opened the door to the train. The train to the car. Etc. Etc. Etc.

There remains not just the memory, but still foundations, and remnants of the Express. Scars upon the land where the trail cut its way remain. A trip to the west desert of Utah makes one feel like the riders are just a moment removed from our present.boyd station

For just a small span of time in our history, the Pony Express has etched itself so deeply, I cannot imagine it will ever be forgotten.

And never by me.

 

 

Day 39

Hail to the Chief

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Hey Kids,

There are times to argue and times to show respect.Obama And Biden Unveil Proposal To Decrease Gun Violence In U.S.

Today the President Obama is visiting Utah overnight. It is the first time that he has visited in 8 years and the first time since becoming the President.

One thing that really bothers me is the protesters that must follow and harass the President. In my opinion, many of them disrespect the office.

Shouting at an elected official or holding signs does not really affect policy. Shouting and offensive signs are disrespectful. Organized efforts, educated civilized dialogue, and responsible voting affects policy and shows respect to the process of democracy.

I do not endorse or protest the President’s policies today. I’m honored that our state will host our President tonight. I welcome the President of the United States of America to Salt Lake City. I hope that he returns again.

And I’ll extend this welcome to any President who decides to come in the future as well.

Respect the office; protest with your votes.

 

Day 38

Pink Slips

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Hey Kids,

It was a sad day at work today; lay-offs happened.

5 people from our staff were released under the term “Reduction in Force” or RIF as Human Resources likes to call it.

The morale of everyone sinks when these things happen. It’s not hard to envision what the event would do to our lives if it turned out to be us on the receiving end of that kind of notice. What would we do? Where would we go? How would we continue to pay the bills? What do we tell our families? Our friends? The thoughts makes us feel sorry for the ones who were forced to face those questions today.

And then the guilt sets in. Guilty for our lives remaining the same and knowing others, people we cared about, worked with, and with who we shared a third of every day’s total hours; their lives were devastated . Guilty that we’re relieved it wasn’t us after all.pink-slip-blues-copy

I’m not preaching because I’m in this boat too, but this is the exact reason to keep yourself out of these situations. Here’s a few tips I’m telling myself and if you agree, do likewise:

  1. Don’t work for someone else where they have total say of what you do, when you do it, and whether or not you’ll be allowed to continue to do it tomorrow. Find your own thing and be your own boss.
  2. If working for someone else, don’t be dependent on them. Save money. Hone your skills and keep your eyes always looking for other opportunities. Don’t be more loyal to them than they are to you. Lay-offs define the limit of their loyalty.
  3. Limit or eliminate your debt. It’s a lot easier to survive without the wolves at the door.
  4. Be valuable; so valuable that it hurts them more to get rid of you than for you to get rid of them.

Currently, I feel I dodged a bullet. And I’m going to do everything in my power to not have to worry about this kind of thing again.

Life owes me nothing, so I might as well earn and take what I want to have. A “job” is not one of those things.

Day 37