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The CC - The Pace of Friendship.
The Pace of Friendship.Last week, two friends challenged my need to always be better, be stronger, and to ride at a fast pace. I had traded my office, emails, and writing posts for 320 kms of remote and wild cycle trails. The hardest part of the trip wasn't finding a line through another rock fall. Or fjording up the trail, when the potholes turned into ponds. The biggest test was allowing myself to be a learner of what my friends could teach me about my pace of living. Setting intentions for the ride, we had talked about building friendship, eating, taking in the desert views from Midway to the summit, at Chute Lake. But what I hadn’t considered was my hidden agenda. It’s my natural inclination to be a competitor against myself or others. This intention became obvious on the fourth day when we had summited and were on the switchbacks down into the valley. Rob suggested to Dan (our photographer) that we should ride back UP the trail for a memorable photo op that was missed; “Hey Grayson, there’s an iconic shot back there a bit.” I sort of heard him shout. But being out in front (as I was often prone to be), I kept riding and yelled over my shoulder, “There’s no way I’m riding back, just for a photo shoot!”
They didn’t hear me, so I found a place to sit, and waited, waited…mumbling, “Why are they taking so long?” Finally I heard them coming. They told me about the view I missed, and Rob quipped, “Grayson, you should slow down on everything.” But the gravel was smooth, the riding fast, and I thought we could push the pace and finish early. “Why don’t we just go for it and get to Penticton by lunch?” Rob shot back. ‘So let me get this straight, you want to rush through the ride just so you can sit around at the end of the day?’ Even though the downhill was leisurely, we arrived in town with five hours to spare. At first, we filled the time reminiscing about the previous four days: the climbs were more extreme, the potholes were huge, and yet the mishaps were negligible. Once we'd done the remembering, then the slowness of the time seemed to open us up to deeper conversation. For the next few hours, we talked about entrepreneuring, family, faith, regrets, and hopes. I left that table feeling both charged and reinvigorated. See you next week, Grayson Did someone forward you this email? Get weekly reflections straight to your inbox by subscribing to The Compassionate Competitor. Want to share this issue via text, social media, or email? Just copy and paste this link: [ARCHIVE URL GOES HERE] |
Grayson Bain
Join us if you're yearning for business insights peppered with adventure, humanity, and a dash of humility. It’s more than success; it’s about significance.
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