I often find myself thinking that there should be “more to life than this” when pulling myself out of bed on a Monday morning to go and deal with a bunch of ungrateful teenagers who can’t see the world outside of their blackberry’s and XBox’s (they are currently sat doing a test at the minute). I somehow think I am special and should have ended up rich and living in the alps riding my bike every day… but that’s not realistic is it, but for some reason I am dissapointed that my life isn’t like this.

I often have to remind myself that I have a stable job with a fairly decent income, I’m really really happy with the house I own, my wife’s amazing and I get to ride 13 weeks a year during school holidays. Ive got money for beer and steak and kashima coated bits and can pay what some foreign workers equivalent weeks wages for a shiny tube that says “Thomson” on it… so why should I ever be down? Why am I pissed off that I’ve lost a crown race so can’t fit my new forks yet? Why get annoyed that I’ve sat in traffic for 40 minutes this morning?

Truth is, in this country most of us don’t know what it’s like to have a shit life, even if you lose your job and fall on hard times the state helps to keep things ticking over. But for some reason most of us expect to have ended up being Alan Sugar and feel like something went wrong because we are not.

For most of us the only true pain we ever have to deal with is the death or long term suffering of a loved one.

So why are so many people not happy? I think it is the way our society makes us want more, it complicates life and most of us are always seeking material gain.

This – saved me typing more or less the same.

never had any plans for life really, just kinda went with the flow, and as I flowed along I realised I should maybe have had a couple of plans. I wasted 16-22 then 22-28 was great but ultimatley I didnt achieve anything, then have spent 30 to now (41) trying to look like I new what I was doing and why I was doing it.
I have no expectations of anything or anyone, I just kinda take as i find and accept what comes.

when I think about my own life and reading notes here makes me realise how true that Pink Floyd lyrics are on TIME on Dark side of the Moon

‘And then the one day you find
Ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run
You missed the starting gun’

and most of all.

‘Hanging on in quiet desperation
Is the English way’

“Oi Chilled76 – weren’t you supposed to be riding with me in Pines yesterday?

“

Yes I was matey, but I sold my Turner frame that I’ve had advertised for a while so had to drive down to near Stanstead to sell it instead.

I’ll be out with the club soon though mate, be interesting to see if any of the old faces I remember are still riding? Don’t think we’ve crossed paths before have we?

If you had asked me this a year and a half ago, I would have said no, I had a rubbish job, my marriage was at its end and I was at a very low point in my life, but now I’m with an amazing new man, living in Australia and I’m happier than I’ve ever been, so seeing as my only real plan in life was to try and be happy I would say yes so far this year it’s spanned out just great! 😀

Not really when I was at school I wanted to be a vet but getting average grades put paid to that so I just studied science and went to uni not knowing what I wanted to do. Hind site is a wonderful thing I should have taken my time and gone to a college where I would be encouraged in finding what I wanted to do instead I drifted. Saying that I met some wonderful people one of whom is my husband.
Today I should be a mother of 2 kids but that is another story. With the career I ditched science and tried holistic therapies however with the economic down turn that didn’t work out but it did bring out my creative side and I now draw pet portraits for a living and am getting a steady stream of work due to word of mouth so in a way I am working with animals.

Life is like a game of cards , we are all dealt a hand which we then have to play as best we can . Problems arise because people try to play the hand that they think they deserve rather than the hand they actually have been dealt.

I’ve got everything I ever wanted.

“Life is just a series of peaks and troughs, and you don’t whether you’re in a trough until you’re climbing out, or on a peak until you’re coming down. And that’s it, you know, you never know what’s round the corner. But it’s all good. “If you want the rainbow you’ve got to put up with the rain”. Do you know which “philosopher” said that? Dolly Parton. And people say she’s just a big pair of tits.”

I struck it lucky by being born in London so life was never going to be completely shite was it? I’ve done lots, am OK for money and have a lovely wife and two brilliant kids. I’d like to spend more time doing the things I love instead of the things I have to but there you go.

I do however still have the odd whoop whoop moment so it’s all good.