The Ride!

“The truth is you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed” - Eminem


"The next rider up… on the bull Bodacious; Tuff Hedeman!"

The extreme sport of Bull Riding is perhaps the most ferocious ride a man can experience. You’re up, down, spinning one way, spinning the other way, in the air, and finally, on the ground. And remember, this is all done on a 2,000 pound beast.

What a thrill!

Some of these rides will be exciting, and some, not so much; but rest assured, there will always be a ride.

Bull riders are a fearless group of fellows.

The one thing you may not know about them is they do their homework. This allows the bull rider to adjust his strengths and weakness to the bull’s tendencies. The more you can know about yourself, and the bull, increases your chances for success.

Example: (Cowboys talking)

“He’s a crow hopper!” This is a bull that doesn’t buck; he just jumps stiff legged into the air.

“You drew you a jump kicker!” This kind of bull jumps and kicks while in mid-air.

“Watch out…he’ll suck back on you” This bull will spin one way, then instantly spin back the other.

“He’s rank!” This bull should be named Oxymoron…you want him…but you don’t.  He’s the kind of bull that makes you pay a huge price for the ride; however, if you stay on, he pays a huge dividend.

Knowing your bull is one thing: however, your strategy is another.

The beast is strong, quick, and tenacious. You can’t out muscle it (most bull riders weigh about 150 pounds); you’re not near as fast; you might be as tenacious, but that doesn’t help much with a 2 ton beast.

The one advantage humans have in this situation is smarts…intelligence. We’re able to consider all of the above listed traits of the bull, and compare that with all of our strengths and weaknesses. Equipped with this information, we can use logic and reason to come up with a strategy to increase our chances for success.

We don’t always win: however, we can minimize the damage. It’s ironic; everything in life that’s meaningful comes with a certain degree of uncertainty and danger.

Think about the ride of life.

Life is up and down. Sometimes you’re spinning one way and then in an instant, spinning the other way. Sometimes you feel like you’re high in the air… and the next, crashing to the ground. And remember, this ride in life is occurring over a 70-80 year lifespan.

What a wonderful ride we have if our perspective is clear and focused.

What a hard ride if not.

We can all learn from the bull riders. The advantage… we have our intellect.

If we stay calm and use our intellect, we can develop better strategies for dealing with the wild ride of life.

Life’s Tendencies:

“The ride of life can be a crow hopper!” Life just throws you in the air.

“Life can be a jump kicker!” This kind of life throws you up and then kicks the sh—out of you.

“Life can suck back on you” This really sucks. Things are going great, and then, sucked right back where you first began.

“Life can/will be rank” This is life’s Oxymoron…it’s not that you want it; however, its times like these where true growth occurs.

Choose life; live life; and enjoy the ride!

As Thomas Paine once said,

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, which can gather strength from distress and grow.”

I want to conclude with a song called “The Dance”, written by Tony Arata, and performed by Garth Brooks.

This song/video featured people who died too early in their life due to tragedies before they really had a chance to fulfill their potential. Bull rider Lane Frost was one of these exceptional people featured in the video.

The song is basically is about how their chosen paths in life led to their tragic ends, and that while they may have lived longer, they would have missed out on all they experienced if they had chosen a different path, or ride in life.

So regardless of what we choose to call life; Ride or Dance. The point is to learn as much as you can about life, and yourself, and then don’t hold back.

The Dance

Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared 'neath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance

Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn't I a king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance

Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain but I'd have had to miss the dance