Many years ago, I was visiting my brother on a late Saturday morning. He was in his living room, sitting on his couch, watching a motorcycle race on TV. He made a comment about one of the racers, saying something about brakes on a motorcycle. Not being raised around the sport like my brother was, I asked him to explain.
He told me that he’d seen an interview with the rider he’d been talking about, and that during that interview the rider had commented that one of the first things his mechanics did for him with his bikes was to remove the brakes. “They only slow you down,” the racer said.
That’s one of my favorite stories. That profound statement really hit home with me; I’ve carried it’s irony with me ever since. I’ve tried to adopt a model of thought that allows this concept to influence many of my decisions.
That said, I must admit that my thought is oddly preoccupied with one of the concepts that been raised in the Econ class I’m taking at Shoreline. Carefully weighing my”Opportunity Cost“, I’ve chosen to let school to take the back burner since summer I work to gather the resources I need to free my creativity. As a result, I’ve added a number of key components to my creative arsenal. My progress is substantial.
Unfortunately, this all comes at a price. Going to school full time and working full time leaves little time for much else. I try to get out of the house to upwind for a few minutes here and there, indulging in the occasional frivolity, but the 15-minute blocks in my schedule don’t allow for the absorption in any craft, and that’s a problem.
For the time being I’ll maintain this pace. I’m within reach of a few more goals that will allow me to explore new possibilities that have been out of reach for far too long, and that makes it worth it.