Well looks like the dream of doing the Transamerica Trail is kind of dead, for at least a few years.  Domestic obligations, demands of work and the drain on the bank account have all conspired to  take this ride/adventure off the table.  I am not sure what happened, but cash flow is tight and, as a sole practitioner, I just can’t afford to take the time off to do the ride.

As a result, the recently purchased BMW Sertao 650 is on the block.  I feel really bad as I looked long and hard for the bike, have it customized for the trail, but just can’t justify it sitting in the shed until finances turn around.  So, it is goodbye Little Sally…  She is listed on ADVRIDER, IBMWR and on the BMW Owners Site.  A couple of inquiries so far, but am in no rush…  Maybe things will turn around before she goes…  Fingers crossed…

How many of us jump out of bed in the morning with a fire in our belly and a passion for going to work?  Kind of an oxymoron – the thought of fun/enjoyment and work?   I recently stumbled across a site that rekindled – or should I say opened a wound that has been festering most of my life.  The wound, that I thought had pretty well scarred over, is that of working in a field or a job that rarely brings a sense of purpose – a job that you don’t embrace or are excited about.  A job that at best, provides the freedom to pursue passions and interests outside of the 40 hrs/week that earns our livings.

Well, the vocation with a purpose may not be as far-fetched as you might think say the folks at “Y-Scouts” – the group that runs the company that developed the web site that I mentioned above.  The Y Scouts are all about poking  those who have settled for less than they really should have in their job – those who are working without a purpose.   They preach the pursuit of purpose in work, and not settling until you find it.

I think back to the days as a youngster that were timeless, filled with interests and childlike curiosity – long before you were supposed to “know” what you wanted to do with your life.  Remember those days?   For me it was a passion for anything aquatic – from dissecting planaria to dreams of riding along with Jacques Cousteau as he explored the ocean.  I can remember taking SCUBA diving lessons at 13, well beneath the age where certification was allowed; taking marine biology classes over the summer with the University of Delaware in Lewes, DE at 15; finally attending school in FL where SCUBA diving as a required course and marine biology was a constant theme on campus.  Then reality struck – how in the hell can you make a living doing this?  Switched to the engineering curriculum in order to have a shot at getting a job upon graduation – been on that path ever since…

The Y-Scouts site is lots of fun – if you can control your envy of those who are doing what they love.  Lots of fun exercises and inspiration, especially on the pages related to “How do you find your WHY?”  I really liked some of the snippets in Paul Graham’s Essay: How to Do What You Love.  A bit wordy and rambling, but, all good stuff and worth poking around a bit.

Check out the Y-Scouts site at:  http://yscouts.com Send ’em a resume and join the team – What the worst that can happen?  But before you do ask yourself a couple of questions (these came from somewhere on the Y-Scouts site):

1. What would you do tomorrow if money was no object?  Would you still get up and do what you are doing now?

2. If you knew you only had a few days to live, would you still do what you are doing between now and the big day?  ( a little melodramatic, but you get the point…)

Hmmmm…  Enough of this rambling…  it’s too much fun.  Need to get back to “working”, bills gotta be paid…