Shooting for the Moon

This weekend I spent a lot of time reflecting on personal achievements. On Saturday, I watched the NFL Hall of Fame induction. It was amazing to see the players inducted and hear their acceptance speeches.

While each of the players was honored for personal achievements, all of them recognized the players and coaches who helped get them there. Troy Aikman commented that "a quarterback is only as good as his receivers." Reggie White's widow, Sara, gave an acceptance speech on behalf of her late husband. She recognized that Reggie (AKA the minister of defense) was so committed to being part of a team, that the individual awards were secondary to him.

But mostly, it was the induction of Warren Moon that brought tears to my eyes. I remember watching Moon play football and I remember hearing how rare it was for an African American to play the quarterback position. On Saturday, Moon became the first African American quarterback to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

During his induction speech, Moon recalled that even though his University of Washington football team won the Rose Bowl, he wasn't invited to the combine. It was suggested that he change positions to wide receiver if he wanted to join the NFL. So Moon ended up playing his first years of professional football in Canada. His return from exile was marked by the Houston Oilers making him the highest-paid player in the league. Six years earlier, no one wanted him and then he becomes the highest-paid player? It's poetic justice.

Sometimes personal achievements are not that personal, but can have a lasting impact. Consider what would have happened had Moon switched positions and ended up at wide receiver. What would that mean for future African-American quarterbacks? Would Michael Vick be a running back instead of quarterback?

The NFL Hall of Fame induction was fun to watch and it inspired me to achieve some of my personal goals – one in particular: Riding my bike up Vail Pass, which I did on Sunday. As I shared in my last post, I was more than a little nervous about attempting this ride. It seemed to be a little out of my league. But I dug in and did it! When I made it to the summit of the pass, I was actually surprised. I thought I had more to climb! As I flew down the hill on my bike, I was thrilled with the possibility that I could really do this!

Thanks to those special people in my life who encouraged me to shoot for the moon and the stars.

Lean into it

After taking most of the summer to decompress and celebrate sunshine, I've decided to post again.

And I'm switching gears. I don't think this will be as focused on journalism as it was before.

So to get started:

I'm planning on riding my bike up Vail pass this weekend. I'm nervous and I've almost called the whole thing off. But sometimes in life you have to just lean in and do things - even when they are intimidating. Sometimes it's cool to listen to your inner alarm, but mostly I need to not let worrying about life stop me from living it.

I'll let you know how the ride goes. Wish me luck!