On - Then Off - Now On Again

The bike trip down the Pine Creek Trail is back on. I had given up on it, as I wrote here one day, since the price of airfare has gone up so drastically. I was beginning to make the necessary plans for a bike trip along a couple of trails in Wisconsin over my 60th birthday this summer to make my 60 Miles for My 60th.

Well, Sunday morning I was sitting at work when I call my wife just to see how she was feeling after being sick over night. Not long into the conversation she says, "I've been thinking about that trip to Pennsylvania. I think we should do it."

"Huh?" I said. "What made you change your mind."

She answered with no hesitation with two simple words, "Tim Russert."

"Oh!"

"Life's too short," she went on. "You will probably never get this chance again. Why not?"

Tim Russert's sudden death last Friday was a shock. He was just a couple years younger than I am. He was always so full of life. Energy, excitement, passion. He loved what he did and put himself fully into hit. He worked hard- very hard. Then, in a moment, he was gone. To stop and ponder that is a truly humbling moment.

It doesn't mean giving up your work if you love it. It doesn't mean becoming some kind of hedonistic party animal looking for ways to get out of responsibilities. It means, I think, live your life with passion and life and excitement. Live and do what gives you the kind of purpose and meaning and spiritual connections that only you can make.

I love my job. My goal is not to retire from working at any old time so that I can do things just for me. But as my wife picked up from Russert's death, it means grabbing life as it comes and going along for the ride.

So the 60 for 60 on the Pine Creek Trail is back on. It's a little more than 6 weeks away. (Already?) Wow! I'm psyched!