Have you thanked them lately? And anyone else in your life that you haven't talked to recently. Do it now.
On an email list I'm on, a guy forwarded an article which had this:
"DO IT NOW.
Clichés become clichés because at their root there is a core truth. Life
really is too short. It really does go by very fast. Each day really is
precious."
Amen.
We were in the car yesterday on the way to the airport when my phone rang. I saw the number and I thought, "Why is Hinds57 calling me?" He said he was calling to tell me that our mutual friend, and very good and long time friend of mine, didn't wake up that morning. What are you talking about? He went to bed that night and just didn't wake up the next morning. #*)F!~ How the hell does that happen? Am I dreaming this phone call? WTF???????????
Stu was the guy who is responsible for me becoming a triathlete. This is from a recent article, but it tells the story.
"With a degree in exercise science, Cathy found a job working as an athletic trainer at a physical therapy clinic in Northern California. One day in 1987 while working at the clinic, a patient name Stuart strolled in with a really crazy looking bike with the front wheel smaller than the back wheel. Stuart explained that he was a triathlete and was trying to qualify for the Ironman in Hawaii. During the conversation, Stuart told the staff at the clinic that there was an upcoming race where you could complete it at as a team. Within the office there was a physical therapist who was a cyclist and Cathy took on the role of the swimmer. They recruited the office receptionist into training for the run and the next thing they knew, they had themselves a triathlon team."
Stu would give you the shirt off his back and when we met, he was trying to qualify for Kona. This was back in the day when you could qualify at Wildflower, but all the slots were just lumped together, so age groupers and pros were all going for the same slots. Stu would have qualified many times before he actually did if the slots had been separated, but I think in the end, it was more sweet when he finally did qualify at IM Canada (and held the swim record there until Michael McCormack broke it, I believe). He knew Jimmy Riccatello from Tucson days and raced against Molina, Pigg, Robinson and all the other NorCal dudes in the late 80s and early 90s.
He was a stay-at-home dad and swim coach and kids were his life, especially his son Hunter. He called me after my mother passed away and said some things that helped a lot as he'd recently been through the same thing. And because of him, I met Hinds57, JohnA and our friend Lon. Back when he was training, he'd go ride 100 miles with me just because he didn't want me to ride solo. When he was struggling with injuries and not riding, he would offer to drive out and drop off more water or be available if something happened on a long ride. Nah, he wasn't perfect, but was a true friend.
Hinds57 said it very well:
Stuart had a large impact on the lives of my children and me. His booming voice and oversized personality were his trade mark on the pool deck. He was a person who gave all he had to the kids he coached and to his friends and family. Fortunately, Stuart and his legacy will live on through those thousands of kids and adults who he has coached and whose lived he has touched over the years.
Damn dude, we're gonna miss you.
clm
clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
On an email list I'm on, a guy forwarded an article which had this:
"DO IT NOW.
Clichés become clichés because at their root there is a core truth. Life
really is too short. It really does go by very fast. Each day really is
precious."
Amen.
We were in the car yesterday on the way to the airport when my phone rang. I saw the number and I thought, "Why is Hinds57 calling me?" He said he was calling to tell me that our mutual friend, and very good and long time friend of mine, didn't wake up that morning. What are you talking about? He went to bed that night and just didn't wake up the next morning. #*)F!~ How the hell does that happen? Am I dreaming this phone call? WTF???????????
Stu was the guy who is responsible for me becoming a triathlete. This is from a recent article, but it tells the story.
"With a degree in exercise science, Cathy found a job working as an athletic trainer at a physical therapy clinic in Northern California. One day in 1987 while working at the clinic, a patient name Stuart strolled in with a really crazy looking bike with the front wheel smaller than the back wheel. Stuart explained that he was a triathlete and was trying to qualify for the Ironman in Hawaii. During the conversation, Stuart told the staff at the clinic that there was an upcoming race where you could complete it at as a team. Within the office there was a physical therapist who was a cyclist and Cathy took on the role of the swimmer. They recruited the office receptionist into training for the run and the next thing they knew, they had themselves a triathlon team."
Stu would give you the shirt off his back and when we met, he was trying to qualify for Kona. This was back in the day when you could qualify at Wildflower, but all the slots were just lumped together, so age groupers and pros were all going for the same slots. Stu would have qualified many times before he actually did if the slots had been separated, but I think in the end, it was more sweet when he finally did qualify at IM Canada (and held the swim record there until Michael McCormack broke it, I believe). He knew Jimmy Riccatello from Tucson days and raced against Molina, Pigg, Robinson and all the other NorCal dudes in the late 80s and early 90s.
He was a stay-at-home dad and swim coach and kids were his life, especially his son Hunter. He called me after my mother passed away and said some things that helped a lot as he'd recently been through the same thing. And because of him, I met Hinds57, JohnA and our friend Lon. Back when he was training, he'd go ride 100 miles with me just because he didn't want me to ride solo. When he was struggling with injuries and not riding, he would offer to drive out and drop off more water or be available if something happened on a long ride. Nah, he wasn't perfect, but was a true friend.
Hinds57 said it very well:
Stuart had a large impact on the lives of my children and me. His booming voice and oversized personality were his trade mark on the pool deck. He was a person who gave all he had to the kids he coached and to his friends and family. Fortunately, Stuart and his legacy will live on through those thousands of kids and adults who he has coached and whose lived he has touched over the years.
Damn dude, we're gonna miss you.
clm
clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com