The Two Weeks Off Agreement

By golly the knee is better and I can finally feel the lifting of the gu that comes about after a little cycling burnout. I suppose the build up for the last two races of the season took their toll. Thinking that I could rehab the knee after the ortho in short time was not a good idea.

I was working my ass off, couldn't buy a two hour window to go ride and frankly, racing was just not what I was wanting to do. So I tossed in the towel on the Cross Season and decided to take a break from it all. Quiting, It does a body good, my credo for October. Again, I will soon have gashes on my shaven legs. Word.

October is a time for wine, hiking, chilling, I have decided. The change in the weather is a cool thing. Understanding of course, that some pretty significant trail riding has been lost. The last several years I have been busting butt on the cross season, working too hard. I missed a little of the time with the family.

So when last week I rolled up on Thrasher on the way to a family hike, he could hardly believe his eyes. Thrasher, no offense, but nobody really says "What the Heck?" Had you had complete faith in your true self, you would have blurted out the profanity that you have buried deep within. And we would have been OK with it. Craig and his family were working the Four Agreements kiosk at the end of their driveway.

Craig, for your benefit...I present...

The Four Agreements:

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don't Take Anything Personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don't Make Assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best. Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

But seriously folks. These are not necessarily all that tough to live by. Don Miguel wrote the book The Four Agreements based on the ancient Toltec Traditions down in what is now Southern Mexico. The book is a good short read, and makes pretty good sense. I have been a study for a while now and fallen short on complete adherence, as most people do, because we are human.

To describe the Toltec's: "the first of the extreme militaristic cultures in the region that used their might to dominate their neighbors…." Passive aggressive I suppose.