IYKYK (If you know, you know…)

Sometimes it is amazing to listen to the quiet. Sometimes it is amazing to listen to the chaos. Sometimes when the chaos and the quiet collide, there is something there to be heard which is very unexpected and surprising. Lately since the pandemic, I spend a lot of time thinking about the reasons I can’t do something (ride farther, run faster, travel more) rather than thinking about how I can do something (ride farther, run faster, travel more). That thinking is unfamiliar to me and trying to figure out how that particular switch was flipped has been a challenge.

I am not an avid journal keeper. I have tried, on multiple occasions, to keep obsessive track of my workouts, of my feelings, of my exploits (such as they are), or even just daily one-liners about the weather. I have attempted handwritten accounts, recorded accounts, online accounts, story telling, and in the end, something else comes my way and I become as distracted as a dog when encountering a bunny or a squirrel. I shift directions and the recorded history goes unrecorded and mostly forgotten. Not that anyone in particular would find my exploits overly interesting, it is more for me to remember what I hope is a life well lived filled with shared experiences with those I care most about.

Then the unexpected happens. I was asked by my good friend, fellow adventurer, and talented radio and podcast host to do an interview for his syndicated show “Amazing Americans”. The title alone put me off not just a little but A LOT. Hmmmmmm somehow the first “A” word, “Amazing”, didn’t seem to apply to the second “A” word,”Americans”. Was he sure these two words applied to me?

He assured me that listeners would find my story interesting. Story? I have a story? Perhaps I should go look in those abandoned journals and see if there is an actual storyline there. It seems to be bits and pieces that don’t always connect. Not even between the lines. I felt compelled to gently remind my optimistic friend that, although I consider myself a competitor, any records or titles I might own are age-group and a very advanced age-group at that. I have never bested any pro-level bum. Not once, unless you count the one unidentified pro I swam past in a triathlon swim once and I think she mistakenly had on the wrong swimcap color, to be honest.

When the chaos and quiet collide and with the help of a really great interviewer who knows the right questions to ask in a gentle, understanding way the result is unexpected. A story unfolds that even I wasn’t aware of. With the people I love best, doing the things I love best. I was reminded that not only have I done a thing or two, I am capable of even more. Because we all are. If you have a spare 40 minutes, take a listen to the chaos and quiet collision interview on Amazing Americans hosted by Jerry Schemmel.