Three Bikes in the Desert: Showers of Joy...

Bryce Canyon, June, 2007.

Accomplishment:

The act of accomplishing or the state of being accomplished; completion.
Something completed successfully; an achievement.

I was working on the bathroom remodel this morning, rejoicing in the fact that I had successfully conquered the assembly of the new fixtures, faucets, and drains. And, later on as I progressed through the day, the thought occurred to me about what accomplishment feels like, and in how many areas of our lives we can find it.

It may just be a faucet to you...

Now, to a plumber who does these jobs a hundred times a month, assembling faucets and drains are nothing more than the routine and mundane part of the week. But to me, well! I wanted to stand and admire the fact the hot water comes out the spigot, and nowhere else! And of course, when I mentioned to the young man installing the new marble walls that I am an air traffic controller, he gasped at what seemed to him the immense impossibility of doing that job. It’s all a matter of perspective.

And no parts left over!

The sense of accomplishment I felt is similar to that of finishing a long ride, achieving a new long distance, or climbing all the way to Francis Peak, without the sweat and bicycle grease, of course! And perhaps that is why we ride, for that sense of accomplishment. Some riders’ commute, some race, some ride to relax (an accomplishment in itself), some ride to lose weight, and some ride great distance. We ride recumbent, mountain, time-trial, cyclo-cross, beach bike, and a hundred variations in-between. Everyone is trying to accomplish something by riding.

Isn't it pretty?
I have sometimes felt great frustration in working on the remodel; sometimes feeling like I had no idea what I was doing, and that I had exceeded my skill level on the project. But there I was this morning, staring at the hot water. Hard to believe that just a month ago I was wielding a sledgehammer destroying walls. Perhaps as I start serious training and riding for the year, I should remember this experience. When I am 130 miles into a 200-mile ride, not to be so quick to throw in the emotional towel and pitch it in.

Grandma's Little Buddy!
Speaking of accomplishments, my grandson can now crawl! God save the cats. Paul’s old grandma cat, Biscuit (and Java, too) have found out all to quickly that Brian finds kitty cats very interesting. Crawling: Now, that’s a real accomplishment!