Windows of Opportunity - Enjoy Them
Tonight, at work, I had a bit of déjà vu, if you will. It’s funny that this sensation came at work, because it really has nothing to do with work, although I may never have had it without the work experience. I had one of those moments of sudden clarity, the kind where something right in front of you kind of reveals itself to you.
Despite what I posted earlier about my new job, it is merely OK. It’s not great, it’s not fantastic, and I’m not going to meet any lifetime friends there. It’s a job, that’s all - a way to pay bills. I’ve been working the late shift this week, getting off at 9:30PM. I work in a call center, meaning I take incoming phone calls from customers. It can be tedious at best, rarely is it fun. Tonight, as I sat there, I remembered a few years ago, when I also worked in a call center, where I also got off at 9:30PM.
What was the difference? At my former job, I worked in a fun atmosphere. We night crew folk were a close-knit group. We had camaraderie and rapport. We had fun. I actually made a couple of lifelong friends while working there. Tonight while I was thinking about the differences in the two jobs that the real reason for this posting hit me.
It has to do with mountain biking.
During that time period, I practically rode my bike on a daily basis. But I wasn’t alone in that endeavor. I hung out with like-minded individuals, a few of them from the job I just told you about. It was a time when we were all carefree folks, and mountain biking became our top priority. We searched out previously (to us) unridden trails, and we made plans to ride them. We rode, and we had fun. We made sure we documented our fun - we took hundreds of pictures, and eventually created a Website to house them. As our group grew larger, our fun seemingly increased tenfold. We’d ride a tasty fifteen-mile section of singletrack, then go out for post-ride beers as a group. A nighttime bike path ride would result in a sprint back in order to make it to the liquor store before it closed. Eventually, a small group of people developed into a culture. Sure, it centered on riding bikes, but grew into other entertainment opportunities, away from the bikes.
What are the parallels between the two things? What do a former job and a bunch of mountain bikers have in common? During both stages of my life, I was inside of a window of opportunity, so to speak. I was having a blast, and for whatever reason, figured both would last forever.
You know what?
They don’t.
Jobs end. Bigger companies purchase smaller companies, and departments get downsized or even eliminated. Guys (and girls) get married, have kids, and stop riding bikes. I lost contact with one of my closest friends and riding buddies for close to six years. Other riding buddies seemingly only wanted to hang out when riding wasn’t involved, which meant less time spent together. Meanwhile, jobs came and went, yet none seemed as fulfilling as what I had before - they were just jobs.
Meanwhile, I kept riding my bike - I have a real, physical and mental need to keep riding it. For awhile, I kept trying to get new acquaintances to ride with me, trying to recapture what I’d have earlier, but they were just rides. I could have been riding by myself and gotten the same effect out of it. In other words, my window of opportunity had closed. It’s gotten to where if I’m not riding with Ladyfingaz (my fiancé’) or the kids, I prefer to ride alone. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m sick of trying to organize rides nobody wants to go on.
Then another funny thing happened.
Over the summer, a longshot happened - my riding buddy whom I’d lost contact with found me through my Website. We can’t ride all the time like before, but we are able to ride together occasionally, and it’s a great time. We even manage to grab a post-ride beer or two. And I’m fine with this, honestly. I’ll take this arrangement over having lost track of him forever.
My point is this - you might be living inside a window of opportunity right now. Make the most of it while you can, and have as much fun as possible. Because before you know it, it might just be gone.
Despite what I posted earlier about my new job, it is merely OK. It’s not great, it’s not fantastic, and I’m not going to meet any lifetime friends there. It’s a job, that’s all - a way to pay bills. I’ve been working the late shift this week, getting off at 9:30PM. I work in a call center, meaning I take incoming phone calls from customers. It can be tedious at best, rarely is it fun. Tonight, as I sat there, I remembered a few years ago, when I also worked in a call center, where I also got off at 9:30PM.
What was the difference? At my former job, I worked in a fun atmosphere. We night crew folk were a close-knit group. We had camaraderie and rapport. We had fun. I actually made a couple of lifelong friends while working there. Tonight while I was thinking about the differences in the two jobs that the real reason for this posting hit me.
It has to do with mountain biking.
During that time period, I practically rode my bike on a daily basis. But I wasn’t alone in that endeavor. I hung out with like-minded individuals, a few of them from the job I just told you about. It was a time when we were all carefree folks, and mountain biking became our top priority. We searched out previously (to us) unridden trails, and we made plans to ride them. We rode, and we had fun. We made sure we documented our fun - we took hundreds of pictures, and eventually created a Website to house them. As our group grew larger, our fun seemingly increased tenfold. We’d ride a tasty fifteen-mile section of singletrack, then go out for post-ride beers as a group. A nighttime bike path ride would result in a sprint back in order to make it to the liquor store before it closed. Eventually, a small group of people developed into a culture. Sure, it centered on riding bikes, but grew into other entertainment opportunities, away from the bikes.
What are the parallels between the two things? What do a former job and a bunch of mountain bikers have in common? During both stages of my life, I was inside of a window of opportunity, so to speak. I was having a blast, and for whatever reason, figured both would last forever.
You know what?
They don’t.
Jobs end. Bigger companies purchase smaller companies, and departments get downsized or even eliminated. Guys (and girls) get married, have kids, and stop riding bikes. I lost contact with one of my closest friends and riding buddies for close to six years. Other riding buddies seemingly only wanted to hang out when riding wasn’t involved, which meant less time spent together. Meanwhile, jobs came and went, yet none seemed as fulfilling as what I had before - they were just jobs.
Meanwhile, I kept riding my bike - I have a real, physical and mental need to keep riding it. For awhile, I kept trying to get new acquaintances to ride with me, trying to recapture what I’d have earlier, but they were just rides. I could have been riding by myself and gotten the same effect out of it. In other words, my window of opportunity had closed. It’s gotten to where if I’m not riding with Ladyfingaz (my fiancé’) or the kids, I prefer to ride alone. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m sick of trying to organize rides nobody wants to go on.
Then another funny thing happened.
Over the summer, a longshot happened - my riding buddy whom I’d lost contact with found me through my Website. We can’t ride all the time like before, but we are able to ride together occasionally, and it’s a great time. We even manage to grab a post-ride beer or two. And I’m fine with this, honestly. I’ll take this arrangement over having lost track of him forever.
My point is this - you might be living inside a window of opportunity right now. Make the most of it while you can, and have as much fun as possible. Because before you know it, it might just be gone.