What is your gold?

Sacrifices are what parents have done for their children. I know I have sacrificed myself a great deal for the family. For so long I had wanted a change in career but the financial commitments and opportunity costs then were so great, and with the financial crisis at the peak at the point I wanted to switch, I had no choice but to continue what I have been doing for more than half a decade, and to date still with my first job.

It is painful to know that I will likely not have other job experiences. But I have gone on to pursue other interests in my life that can be just as fulfilling, if not more. I have come to build friendships that I know will last a while because all of us are of the same mindset. Perhaps, even the same religious moral grounds - I have been a church goer for the past 19 years.

Today' service asked: what is your gold? A podium finish in a race, a new job title or a bigger paycheck?

My gold or goal? Is to know that in all I have done, I have given my best and no possession through ill gotten means. The song entitled "Already Gone" by Kelly Clarkson, if looked at it at face value is about letting a loved one go. I see that it goes beyond what the lyrics says. Perhaps treasuring a friendship is about not saying somethings that you would want to point out. Perhaps, even in the extreme sense, letting a ironman training session go for the sake of the sport so that the road can be further walked.

Stumbled upon this little story:

A group of graduates, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an collection of cups – porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite; telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:

“If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… And then you began eying each other’s cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us.”
God brews the coffee, not the cups… Enjoy your coffee!

“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.”

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God

***

Morning started with a 75km bike followed by a 4km run. Small chain ring for the ride made me kept the cadence going and tire my legs out. Non stop action for almost 3 hours. A bit boring, but helped prevent myself from overtraining. Cant be pushing big miles day in and out.

Run of 4km was tiring and in the searing heat, even at 9am. Maybe the bike took my legs out: ran at 5:23/km pace. Made up for the increase average speed during the last 600m or so with an increased pace to sub 5min/km. Somehow I felt tired. Probably because I relied on Gatorade solely during the bike. Likely carb was insufficient?