We all want happiness, strive for it, work for it, feel that we deserve it. Life often has other plans for us. Sometimes the hard times come in waves one after another, people more often than not disappoint and problems can stack up like a layer cake. That’s ok because that’s life, that’s the real in life, happiness happens in the middle of all those things. Without the hard times how would we know when we were living in our golden moments, you can’t have one without the other.

We need balance in life, we need disappointment and constant uphill battles. We need the challenges. Cyclists seek out those challenges more than most. We throw ourselves against a long climb knowing full well it will hurt. We do so because we know in the end that the pain leads to satisfaction, that the hard breathing uphill transports us back to ourselves, to a world where we are once again centered and clear headed and content. After a ride the wine tastes better, the sun glows a bit brighter and we feel more at peace having been in the world at our own speed. We experience the sights and sounds of the world in a way that few others can.

The truth is that happiness is fleeting but sorrow is also fleeting, life is always changing. So how do you come to terms with the tough things, how do you find peace and calm? For us it’s simple. We find it on two wheels and with family and feeling the sun on our skin, it’s the small things that make up a life. We don’t ask for much, we think that’s the trick of it, ask for little and give of yourself when you can. Enjoy your friends, make new ones, ride bikes, drink a lot of coffee, have an extra glass of wine when you probably shouldn’t. We go around once, at least we think so, enjoy it while you can in between the stress and struggles, realize that everything changes all the time and that's ok.

As the new year begins we thought that it was worth taking a moment to remind you all and ourselves that with every day there is an opportunity to be happy. Take it, make the days your own, ride and be present in your own world.

Non Dimenticare Chi Sei.

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