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Allowing for the possibility of โฆ well, a different possibility
By Sarah Hansing
It seems that nearly every person I know has started one, is adding to one, or is working on one: The Bucket List.
A personal checklist of going and seeing and doing and eating and drinking and adventuring.
Itโs an admirable thing, really, having a list of must-doโs for oneโs time on earth. I honestly always felt a little odd-man-out, because I donโt really have one. ย I mean, thereโs stuff I want to do, for sure, but I donโt really have a bucket list.
I probably tend to be a bit too impulsive for lists when it comes to life, which isnโt necessarily a good thing, I suppose. ย But my proclivity towards โI have decided that I want to do this thing, so I am going to do it right nowโ has propelled me towards a lot of adventures.
Itโs been responsible for a lot of risks and a lot of gambles. ย
Iโve done a lot of things that other people wouldnโt have done, on a timeline they certainly wouldnโt have done it on. Maybe I should plan better, but my approach seems to always work out pretty well for me. Start with a plan and add the โish.โ Stir well. ย ย
Plan (ish) ย where youโre going to go (ish) on the budget you have (ish) within your set timeline or schedule (ish).
Be realistic (ish). ย
The (ish) is an important thing, to me. ย Iโve come to the conclusion that while most people can say they have a Bucket List, I have a Bucket List (ish). ย
And Iโve been really fortunate to have just explored one of the things I didnโt even KNOW was on the list, which was to live in Australia for three months. ย
It was awesome. Except the part where I got hurt, and couldnโt ride my bike for a month and a half even though I had planned to ride it every single day. I was super bummed and in large part, it was because I had forgotten about the โish.โ I had forgotten about reality. You see, we donโt always have everything go the way we want it to go, according to our rules and wishes, hopes and expectations. I know I was supposed to learn this when I was 2 yrs old, and retained that lesson … but I still struggle with it: We donโt always get our way.
Iโm not going to lie โ I had tantrums about not being able to ride. I acted like a petulant child (in my defense, part of that had to do with the fact that I WASNโT riding). I wasnโt getting to ride the singletrack I wanted to ride. I wasnโt getting onto my mountain bike because I could barely even road ride. THINGS WERENโT GOING ACCORDING TO MY PLAN AND I WAS NOT HAPPY. ย
I had forgotten about the โish.โ
Until a ride happened that hadnโt been on my radar, really. It was really tough fire road climbs in the mountains. Not my usual jam. A thunderstorm chased us for miles. At least two very large birds of prey tried to eat us, Iโm pretty sure. They were probably Prehistoric Spider Birds of Doom. Australians ย have some crazy shit, and I wouldnโt put Prehistoric Spider Birds of Doom past them.
Anyways, my partner and I thought we were probably going to die. We got the giggles. We had to walk a lot. I actually had to walk a lot more than she did, truth be told. It was terrible and painful and beautiful and wonderful and hilarious and ย the most fun Iโve had on accident in a very very long time. We didnโt even do the ride we had planned out. But it was the perfect ride.
It was a good reminder to me that I do very well with the punctuation of โishโ in my life. Itโs a thoughtful and welcome pause in the conversation of life. It ย leaves room for developments and changes to happen. Itโs nothing to panic about. It doesnโt mean everything is going horribly wrong. It simply allows for the possibility of โฆ well, a different possibility. It will take some reminding from myself, from other people, and from the universe itself that โishโ is a good thing. And being outside on two wheels, the possibilities are endless. The โishโ is infinite. ย
There is actually quite a lot of comfort in that.ย
โFat Tire Tuesday columnist Sarah Hansingย has been slinging wrenches as a pro bike mechanic for 15 years (with the exception of a one year stint working for Trek Bicycles in Wisconsin.)ย Epicenter Cycling scooped her up as their lead mechanic and the shop’s crewย plans to โkeep her forever. Sarah loves riding singletโrack, wrenchingย on bikes, and hanging out with her jerk-face but adorable cat Harlan. (Who is a jerk.)