Family and Bikes…The Rest is Just Stuff
Yeah, it’s true. There really are only two things that matter to me…..my Family, and Cycling. Seriously, if I could fill my days with nothing other than these two things I would consider myself an utter success. My Family and the Bike matter so much to me, that I’ve spent the past few years carving out a life that allows me to have these two things as my ultimate daily priorities.
Inside I’ve always known how mucho important these things are to me, but it wasn’t until I wrote this line in a recent post that I realized that nothing else really even matters to me: “Family and Bikes. If I have that, then I have all I need. The rest is just STUFF.”
But what happens when it comes to money and sustaining yourself so that the majority of time can be spent on these two things? I’m not a Pro Cyclist who gets paid to ride a bike. I may think of myself as a Pro Family Man…..but I have yet to meet someone who will pay me to be a Dad and Husband. So what do I do? I have been lucky enough I have purposely created my own culture so that I primarily work from home, and have moved our Family around to locations such as our 
present home of Austin, where cycling is King and the weather makes it doable all year round.
However, as I find myself focusing more and more on my Family and the Bike, the idea of making money and building a career have totally taken the back seat. But things have been weighing heavily on me lately and I’m searching out ways to balance my two main loves with that crazy little notion of making cash.
I know I have just a touch of “dreamer” in me, and I envision someone bringing me that paradise job offer which allows me to focus on my two loves letting me spend valuable time with my Family…teaching my kids about the world….and having no other priorities when I’m enjoying these moments. Of course this offer also includes a whole lot of cycling time….and why not throw in a little world travel cycling along with it as well?
What have you done to fuel your passions in life?
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Hats off to you Darryl! You touched soft tissue with that one. I will try to send this article to as many family men (biker or not) as as I can.
Thanks for the nice comment and thanks for passing it along to the Dad’s out there. It’s great to hear that I touched some soft tissue, my man……I guess when I write about what I’m passionate about, it comes out the right way. I appreciate it.
I have loved cycling since I bought “The Big Book of Bicycles” in 1970 and bought a Murray 3-speed. Have had many bikes since then and am currently training for the BTC (Bicycle Tour of Colorado) this June with my hubby. Started mountain biking when I turned 50 and it is now my current bike-love activity (58 now!) Cycling DOES take up a lot of time-which is why we try to supplement our workouts with swimming/running and weight training when we can’t find two hours to hit the road! (P.S. We started swimming from Alcatraz seven years ago and now make that an annual family event!)
Sounds awesome……thanks for sharing your story.
I’m in the same position, I work for myself from home and really all I want to do with my day is ride then spend the evening and weekends with my family. Right now I work just enough to keep things rolling but I’d still like to get in to selling a few products and leave my afternoons available for a ride.
Thanks Curtis, it definitely looks like we’re on the same page. I have most of the pieces in place, but what I need to lock the ideal scenario in place is the feeling of freedom so that I can spend more quality time with my Family with nothing on my mind but enjoying the moment.
Me to. I sometimes (maybe often) am worried about how business stuff is going when I’m with the family. Not so much on the weekends but if I have to take an extra day off to do something with them, I’m distracted much of the time.
YOU are such an inspiration….I LOVE how you’ve created your own culture, and how you are so dedicated to our family & your cycling.
I am thankful for you. I am thankful for all you do for our family.
Lets keep being “dreamers” together.
I’m so thankful that you approve of the life we live and help push me in chasing our dreams. I Love You.
Another great Blog by one of the finest men I know! Inspiring, loving and peaceful! ..with of course some wonderful talk about a little dreaming!
You’ll always be one of the most inspiring Dad’s I know. Thanks for checking today’s post out, Kevin.
I have been in Corporate America all my life. I left grad school to a very well paid consultant career for a Big 5 firm. My early years were spent learning a lot but it came with a lot of stress and travel. When I had a child I took a position in the company that allowed me to not travel which turned into a work from home position. Through all of that I had always been trying to find a way out of Corporate America to follow my passions. Six years ago I helped my husband open a bike shop and dreamed that one day I could leave and do that full time. But guess what running a bike shop pretty much sucks. Finally this year I realized that the Corporate gig is the best thing for all of us. I make good money, it is flexible, my home can really be anywhere in the world with a good internet connection (not that they have to know that) there are benefits, retirement. If I get laid off I still have skills to pick up freelance work….My point is that everyone, including me, is always running from real jobs for dream jobs. But sometimes those dream jobs end up being more work and less time to pursue your passions.
Thanks for sharing your perspective on things, Jen. Looks like it’s a pretty dreamy set up to me. Sometimes it’s not the dream job that makes things right….but the dream situation that makes everything else possible.
You have a great attitude, Darryl and I hope you realize that it spreads out across to people like me. Keep on focusing on what you believe in and are passionate about and the rest will take care of itself.
Thanks Mark. I appreciate your comments and great advice.
Wow, couldn’t agree with you more. This is what I’ve done so far….I commute to work and back year round in New Hampshire and I just started a cycling touring business that I hope will be successful enough to do full time in the future. I purposely became a teacher when I had kids so that we’d have the same schedule. Love my family and my bikes!
Good to hear from you….and thanks for sharing your story. It definitely sounds like you’ve lived a life around your passions. Well done.
I love this piece Darryl. I have faith in you. Thanks for continuing to inspire us all!
Thanks Pamela. I appreciate you checking this post out and for leaving your nice comments. Thanks for having faith in me.
You’re going to do it. If anyone can, you can do it. It’s so refreshing to see a man work hard for his family. We are lucky to have that in this house too!
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Julie. I really can’t think of being any other way, and it’s good to know the same sort of feelings circulate through your house as well.