Collateral Damage.

I was almost giddy as I did some administrative tasks that morning. I chatted with one of the mechanics. The reason for this unusually good mood? It was my work last day before I got on a plane for home.

Then the phone rang.

It took me a minute before what the raspy voice on the other end was telling me. Flu-like symptoms. A test. Can't travel until cleared.

Fuck.

The email traffic started rolling in confirming what I already knew. I wasn't going anywhere. The rest of the day wasn't quite so cheery.

I mean, I get it. I've been delayed by the raging pandemic before and know how it ruins plans. I'd rather be delayed a week or so than for someone to bring the 'rona to the radar site, where medical help is limited to what expired medicine you find laying around, what you brought from home, or a medivac that could take a week to come in. Nope, I'd rather not risk that sort of thing.

I can't really complain, even if I still do. I'm making money. I'm fed/housed. My family is taken care of. In times like these, you have to put things into perspective and realize how fortunate you are.

Thanks to my more conservative training approach this time around, my TrainingPeaks squiggly lines are still trending upwards, without the persistent aches and fatigue that foreshadow burnout. I blew through my lowball goal and kept going. At this point I'm just going to keep on riding like I have been, because it seems like it's working.

Thanks to my horrible eating habits this time around, I'm gaining weight instead of losing it. A good part of it is likely rebuilt muscle mass I lost this summer, which masked the fat gain a season of relative inactivity brought on. But yeah, I'm eating a lot of junk food that I shouldn't be touching. It's not something I'm super concerned about at the moment, unless the trend continues. The first goal was to get moving again.

Yeah, I'm delayed a bit. I have no real idea for just how long at this moment. As the days add up, my spirit will flag somewhat, which is natural. All I can do is keep moving.

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