Little by Little

     How do you eat an elephant?  That is the question.  As I am sitting here contemplating my new life I can't help wonder which direction to go in.  Pursue a coaching career?  Perhaps become a writer?  Maybe that is what this blog is all about - writing practice.  I am at a crossroads for sure.  For the last 13 years I have been single-mindedly focused on racing my bike.  Now that is gone.  It's weird being without cycling.  I can eat whatever I want now without worrying about my weight, or the ratio of carbs to protein, or the specific nutritional value of everything.  A couple nights ago I stayed up all night.  It felt liberating.  Exciting even.  Like being young again.  Strange to think of myself as old, but I am married with two girls.  I am not a kid anymore.  And now cycling is gone.  It's been my focus my whole adult life.  I even thought I could make a career out of it.  So what now?

     The question - what now - is in fact the elephant in the room.  It's such a large question I am not sure where to begin.  I am so overwhelmed by it that most of the time I am paralyzed into inaction.  I just want to fill my time watching movies or playing games.  Well, that's not entirely true.  I started coaching a couple of my cycling buddies.  No sense wasting all that knowledge I acquired.  I also started writing a book.   It seems silly to think of myself as a writer.  Presumptuous even.  I mean, I don't have an english degree - or a coaching degree for that matter.  I have to do something though.  I can't do nothing.  And watching tv or playing games is certainly nothing. Even work feels like doing nothing most of the time.  Just running to stand still.   

     I guess when I think about it, I have already addressed the elephant in the room.  When I started cycling I had no clue what I was doing.  I just did it.  Time took care of the rest.  I have already started coaching.  And I am writing now after all.  I can't say that I am writing anything worthwhile.  Still, you are what you do.   I am going to keep coaching and writing.  It might take awhile before I can say I've had any success at it.  I'll keep chipping away at it though.  I imagine the doing will answer the question.
     So how do you eat an elephant? Little by little.