I saw the neatest video of an old man who is doing exactly what he wants to do every single day.
He was a medical doctor, but now he spends all day long doing this one thing that makes him happier than he’s ever been in his life.
What I want to know is… How much does this relate to unicycling for any of you all ? ? ?
Cool video. I aspire to be that guy. I’ve often said, “Unicycling is like flying.” I guess the same can be said for skating. (Or surfing, or a bunch of other similar things.) I think probably a lot of us feel that way about uni riding.
thanks for sharing.
I see some Terry Peterson in that guy. And some me.
But my crotch says it’s pretty sure it doesn’t want to ride unicycles all day every day. Not that there’s anything wrong with doing that.
I’d like to be inside his head to feel the responses from his simple riding/skating style. There’s obviously something there. I think I’ve experienced it on a bicycle when I was a kid, and also on a unicycle here and there over the years. Finding that happy place and being able to hold onto it.
I like that in the final shot, just before the credits, he skates past a hotel that my wife and I stayed at, the Pacific Terrace Hotel. Excellent room. If you click the link, you will see the same view of the hotel, from the bike path out back.
The video was a great reminder to live in the moment. I live in the moment when I ride my unicycle most of the time. Now I have to learn how to live in the moment the rest of the day.
I don’t think you need to be as radical as he has, but if you have the means then it would be beautiful. I try to keep a similar focus in life. I once read that happiness in a survey peaked at a $80,000 salary. It brought into my mind, why is that? and I looked, and the idea manifested itself before my eyes. The rich are concerned with their own money, but it is disconnected from the tangible objects which it represents. I overheard a fellow talking about how much he was losing in taxes on his second home and thought about how much of money’s value is reliant on perspective.
I work a lot. I have rent to pay, food, phone bills, electricity, gas, and of course a few hobbies. But the only things truly worth seeking are those which provide the means to your happiness.
I think money has the value one places on it. To some it represents freedom, to some it represents power, to some it is a reminder of the poverty they live in. I don’t think it has any intrinsic value, it is, after all, just metal and paper.
Deciding to do what one wants to do is easy. The hard part is letting go of lots of years of training and societal viewpoints. Then there is the bringing the decision into reality. It can be done, but takes some re-adjustment.
I worked at a job I hated for years (construction) until I finally focused my dislike into action. I threw (literally) all my tools away and have never looked back. That was well over 20 years ago. After I did that I was amazed at how much my world opened up to me. I’ve lived on 3 continents and haven’t had a regular job in 16 or 17 years. I’ve toured the US on a used motorcycle twice and I’ve ridden across Lake Victoria in Africa in a very overloaded boat. Now I’m slowly learning how to ride a unicycle.
Since deciding to live a less-stressful life I’ve washed dishes, cleaned toilets and done lots of odd jobs to maintain my existence. They say pride goeth before a fall and I agree. I had to let a lot of pride go so I could fall from the rickety perch a “normal” life had put me on. The landing was softer than I thought and I’m still on the green side of the grass.
Doing what you want to do is important. A friend said to me years ago, “I don’t want to be taking my last breath and realize I’m at the end of someone else’s life”. That was a powerful statement to me and really kicked me in the pants. As the old saying goes, “Free your mind and your ass will follow”. Words to live by.
