Archive for the 'Thoughts' Category

Food

Published on September 1, 2010 in Flavas and Thoughts. 0 Comments

I like food.

I like cooking food, I like eating food, I like talking about food, I like thinking about food. When I say food, I include coffee, beer, and wine. Things with good flavour. Things that are interesting. Yup, I like them all.

I read an interesting interview with Anthony Bourdain. A lot of the conversation revolved around foodies and current food culture in [North] America. There were definitely some interesting comments, but this one really stuck out to me:

For an Italian person in Italy, food — and, more significantly, wine — are both part of a healthy, larger picture. You don’t see many Italians getting embarrassingly drunk at meals. They drink with every meal, but you never see them staggering, drooling, stupid drunk or binge drinking. Because it’s just no big deal! To them, great food, great ingredients are just a birthright. It’s just part of your life, and an important one. But just a part. It’s not the focus of everything. Chef’s know this; I think some of the chefs’ biggest fans don’t.

I really appreciate that thought and you can truly expand it into other areas of life. But I’m also a little on the fence, because when something is too everyday, too mundane, it can become really easy to take for granted. It’s a fine line between what I would call performing and being comfortable. If you are just truly doing what you are doing and it is excellent, then that is good. But if you are putting on a show, not being yourself, stressing, etc. then I would say that is not good.

Wow, I really strayed for a bit there, but it is an important point.

In sum, just enjoy the things that each day brings. Be content. Don’t glorify things. Don’t make things what they aren’t. Just enjoy them.

::SAdamson

Tags: Tags: beer, comfort, company, contentment, flavours, food, joy, style, wine, [Coffee].

A meal

Published on July 27, 2010 in Thoughts. 0 Comments

A simple meal.

That’s it.

I had the opportunity to make dinner for Craig et al. last night and it was a joy. I was able to share my passion and enjoy some good company.

If there is one thing I do in my life, I want to be able to take my passions and talents and share them with those around me. I have been listening to the Mosaic podcast, with Erwin McManus speaking on Ecclesiastes and Solomon’s struggles in life. He was granted more wisdom than any other human and yet did not know what to make of this world and this life. Ok, so there’s been a lot more to it, but Solomon wondered why he worked so hard and acquired so much, just to lose it all when he died.

But if you think of others and think of how you can take all that you have and all that you know and share that and use it to help people and to make a difference… then it’s all worthwhile!!

In that light, I have been thinking too much… or maybe just riding too much… but I’ve been thinking about what my passions and talents really are. And more importantly how I can use them to make the world a better place. I don’t know everything. And I’m certainly not perfect. But I can be the best version of me and I can make a difference.

The little things matter. Everything you do matters. The choices you make. The people you talk to. The work you do. Everything matters!

::SAdamson

Tags: Tags: company, dinner, food, knowledge, meal, meaning, passion, purpose, talent, work.

Can’t shake it

Published on July 14, 2010 in Biking and Thoughts. 0 Comments

I was listening to Shane Hipps speak on the Mars Hill podcast while I was riding earlier this week. He was speaking on Jonah. It was the second sermon in the series and he summed up the story in less than a minute at the beginning…

God called Jonah to Ninevah. He didn’t want to go and tried to run away to Tarshish. That didn’t work and he gave in, heading to Ninevah. However, he thought he could just do a half-hearted job and gave what was basically the worst prophecy ever, thinking that would just get him out of the job. But no, everyone in Ninevah repented immediately and fully.

You can try and run from God’s calling on your life, but you won’t get very far.

That really hit home with me in the last little while as I continue to search for what God wants me to be doing with my life. I am continuing the search for support in my cyclocross campaign this year. *If you are interested or able, here is my sponsorship package* As I have done this for the past few years with little success, I have had to wonder if this is truly what God wants me to do.

On the flipside, if you look at how well and easily everything fell into place to bring me to Ottawa, to Scott Racing, to live with Marc and Vicki, how could it not be where I am supposed to be this summer. There was much deliberation last fall as the opportunity presented itself and I presented my case. I did have a few decisions to make and when I committed myself and my abilities, it was out of my hands. One of my great mentors sat with me and said that if I get the call it’s meant to be, and if I don’t get the call it’s probably not. Then I got the call.

Smooth Ride is slowly growing and opportunities continue to present themselves, so I continue to wonder what it all means.

At this point, all I can do is trust that this is where I am supposed to be and that God will continue to show me what is coming next and to prepare me for it. I certainly thank you for all your support in this as well!

::SAdamson

Tags: Tags: ::Cycling, bicycles, bicycling, bikes, Biking, calling, christian, christianity, God, Jesus, purpose, racing, vocation.

More borrowed concepts

Published on June 8, 2010 in Biking and Thoughts. 0 Comments

I just found this interview with Gerard Vroomen of Cervelo and Cervelo Test Team on cyclingnews.com. I think it relates nicely to the post I put up earlier from Richard Sachs. I will mention that I’m not a big fan of all the doping talk, so feel free to ignore those parts…

Vroomen has set about instilling a philosophy within his riders that goes beyond the demand of winning at all costs. Instead the team place race success alongside product development and fan access as their top goals.

Obviously the biggest goal within sport is to win. The question is what are you willing to do in order to achieve that? I don’t want to change cycling for riders to aim at finishing last and if it’s a choice between wining and coming second, you’ll try and win. However, winning at all costs is a particularly strange concept in cycling. What I mean is within cycling, winning from a financial point of view is not nearly as important as it is in other sports.

For the rider, winning is important and if he doesn’t have the drive to win he’ll never make it to the top level. For us as a sponsor, winning is not that important because on the one hand we also focus on product development and fan access. But also, winning is not that big a factor in how much exposure you get. So even for companies just looking for exposure, winning is not that important as say winning in soccer.

the return on investment in cycling is so great. The investment is so good even if you did finish seventh in a major race. Cycling is essentially unsophisticated in how it’s marketed. So you have these companies getting 60 million in exposure and they pay a tenth of that so even if you have a bad year your exposure is still a great deal.

I think Mr. Vroomen may be a little optimistic in some of his thoughts here, but they still make a good point. Over the last few years I have realized that it’s not always the guy who wins that is the best person to sponsor. As I have searched for sponsors, I have found that it is best to be personable, to provide brand recognition wherever possible, to be a positive influence, to make yourself known, visible, and have a good image. Being fast and having results can make those things easier. But talking to people, showing off your sponsor’s stuff, and just being in the action can almost make up for results.

Lots of good things coming now. Stay tuned…

::SAdamson

Tags: Tags: ::Cycling, bicycles, bicycling, bikes, Biking, cervelo, competition, cross, cyclocross, dope, doping, image, racing, sponsorship, Thoughts.

Now that’s a mentality!

Published on June 8, 2010 in Thoughts. 0 Comments

I borrowed this from a release about the Richard Sachs 2010 Cyclocross Team:

This team has always stressed the experience of racing over the actual racing itself, and our ways are well documented. The term I use is “making memories”. It’s fitting because, though we are all ‘cross zealots and bleed for our supporters, ‘cross is not really life. For us to have the 25 or so weekends together is our gift to ourselves and each other. We race hard, win often, and leave for home each Sunday night wishing these days could last forever.

Yeah, that sounds pretty good to me…

::SAdamson

Tags: Tags: ::Cycling, bicycles, bicycling, bikes, Biking, cross, cyclocross, racing, veldrijden.

Who are you?

Published on June 6, 2010 in Life and Thoughts. 1 Comment

Well… What do you do? Where are you going?

Sure… Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What are you doing there? Who are you with?

These can certainly be big questions! But I think at some point they need to be considered; if not answered, even inconclusively.

There are many motivations driving the answers behind these questions. What do I want to do? What makes me happy? What do my parents want me to do? What will make me the most money? Bring me the most fame?

What does God want me to do?

From the Art of Manliness‘ post pondering What is a Vocation?

“The deepest vocational question is not “What ought I to do with my life?” It is the more elemental and demanding ‘Who am I? What is my nature?’” -Parker J. Palmer

The etymology of vocation versus career is most revealing. The word vocation comes from the Latin word “vocare” or “to call.” It denotes a voice summoning a person to a unique purpose. The word career derives from the Latin word for cart and the Middle French word for race track. It denotes quickly moving in a circle, never going anywhere.

Man was made to embrace his unique destiny, not soldier on as a hamster in a wheel.

As I ponder this myself, I think about what I feel like I am good at, what I enjoy, how I can serve, how I can bring joy to others.

I know that

I love cooking and want to be able to invite others into my home to enjoy meals.
I would like to have a wife and kids.
I would like to find joy and contentment in the small things and show others how to do the same.
I would like to help others who find themselves in difficult situations.
I would like to give everyone the opportunities and the means to follow their dreams and passions. For this one I look to my parents, without whom I wouldn’t have half the experiences I have had, nor would I be where I am today doing what I’m doing, doing what I love.
I want to teach or show others how to be.

This post hasn’t gone at all in the direction that I had originally planned… I was going to pose the question, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” And then try to answer it myself. But maybe I have no idea how to answer it or what my answer would be…

Maybe in 5 years I want to be doing all the things in my list…

I certainly don’t know where I will be. I don’t know who I will be there with. I don’t know what exactly I will be doing. But I know that I want to be doing those things. Of course, that’s all assuming that those are also things that God wants me to be doing… Boy, I sure hope so…

Ask yourself… where do you see yourself in 5 years?

::SAdamson

Tags: Tags: career, christianity, content, dream, goals, God, Jesus, job, Life, love, money, passions, plan, purpose, pursuit, vocation.

Expertise

Published on June 5, 2010 in Thoughts. 1 Comment

I’ve had some form of this blog post floating around in my head for a while. The idea of how much expertise is in the world came to me again when I visited mymacdealer in Edmonton. The guys there were super helpful and got my computer running better than ever.

But what really got me was the fact that they did things so easily that I might not even been able to do at all. And they acted as though it was no big deal and anybody could have done it is just as quickly and easily.

The truth is that that isn’t the truth.

There are many people who have many gifts and much knowledge that not everybody else has. This can be easy to forget.

That also doesn’t mean that just because you are smart or are very knowledgeable that you know everything!

Next came the realization that I may have been doing the same thing. The reason that I do what I do is that not everybody knows everything. I have things to teach people. I know things that can help. I certainly don’t know everything. And I certainly can’t solve all the world’s problems.

Well, there you go.

There are many experts in many fields. Be an expert in what you do.

::SAdamson

Tags: Tags: expertise.

Lean meat

Published on June 5, 2010 in Thoughts. 0 Comments

I’ve been noticing how much different my legs can look after different workouts. Like Thursday’s ITT or today’s VO2max efforts compared to last week’s road race in Charlevoix.

After the harder, shorter efforts my legs look huge, and not in a good way. I’m pretty sure they’re full of fluid and blood after the intense effort. Whereas after a race like Charlevoix they look super lean, cut, and like a real bike racer.

Just an observation…

Today was a good day on the bike. Though the wind did pick up throughout the day, if that’s what kept the menacing, black clouds out of my way, I’ll take it!

I’ve also been enjoying living vicariously through Jamie at Mt. Hood, a race that I’ve never really excelled at, but love nonetheless.

::SAdamson

Tags: Tags: ::Cycling, bicycles, bicycling, bikes, Biking, racing, travel.

I like that

Published on May 22, 2010 in Thoughts. 0 Comments

I have to admit I took this from my friend Stew’s blog. I shared it through my google reader, but I just thought this was too good to not put into it’s own post again here:

There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about.
Ask “What’s possible?” not “What’s wrong?”
Keep asking.
Notice what you care about.
Assume that many others share your dreams.
Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.
Talk to people you know.
Talk to people you don’t know.
Talk to people you never talk to.
Be intrigued by the differences you hear.
Expect to be surprised.
Treasure curiosity more than certainty.
Invite in everybody who cares to work on what’s possible.
Acknowledge that everyone is an expert about something.
Know that creative solutions come from new connections.
Remember, you don’t fear people whose story you know.
Real listening always brings people closer together.
Trust that meaningful conversations can change your world.
Rely on human goodness. Stay together.
– Meg Wheatley