Carving helped him through challenging grief process.
A cold April wind indicated there would be rain that afternoon, but I didn’t notice, nor did I care. I sat at my mother’s graveside with my siblings and the rest of our family and I found myself numb. As her primary caregiver, I had spent the previous six months on leave from my work, my family, and my life. It had been an all-encompassing job, and while the grief came in waves, we were all grateful we reached the end with no regrets.
Well, one regret.
In taking care of Mom, I let my own health slide. A naturally husky guy, I had let my weight balloon to approximately 15% over my normal range. Caring for a terminally ill cancer patient often means a lot of sitting and waiting, and a lot of bad dietary choices. Both had caught up with me. I needed to take action.
I first noticed the Trikke two years ago, when I saw local trainer/dealer, John Benton, riding in the parking lot of the computer repair store. I was fascinated by this machine, started researching it voraciously.
At time, I had a lot of (weak) reasons not to get one. As the head of my own project management consulting firm, I was heads down on a difficult, government compliance project, plus teaching graduate courses at Drake University. No sooner had I rolled off the project, than I was on a whirlwind of speaking engagements from San Diego to Milwaukee. Mom’s diagnosis came during the drive home from my last engagement. Health and fitness took a backseat to others’ needs.
A month after Mom’s death, John put his old T78 for sale on Craigslist. I jumped on it quickly. With the poly wheels, it served as the perfect starter Trikke for learning to carve. It was an interesting learning curve: I spent hours learning how to propel myself forward.
A month later, after mastering those motions, I ordered my first new T8 Air and spent the rest of the summer mastering hills and recovering from my one and only Trikke crash (when your trainer tells you: “know your terrain,” take him seriously). By December, I was 25 pounds lighter and had already added a T12 to my Trikke collection.
My business is all about accomplishment. Carpe Factum is Latin for “Seize the Accomplishment,” and I spend most of my time helping clients learn how to manage projects, navigate office politics, and design their major accomplishments. The help comes through mentoring, speaking engagements, books I’ve authored, or hands-on management.
Learning and mastering the Trikke became a “Physician, heal thyself” journey for me. Carving helped me deal with my grief, regain my focus, and ignite my passions.
Over a year after my first carving experience, I’m on a new project with a client I enjoy, I’ve returned to speaking engagements, and I’m writing two new books. I credit the Trikke with transitioning me from a challenging period in my life to the renewed energy I feel now.
What a great story!