February 1988 – I quit!

Jack — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:12:38 +0000

In February 1988 I quit my job in the hospital where I had worked for 19 years. The Administrator passed away several months prior; he was a wise man who had taught me what it takes to run a hospital. I missed him very much and thought that taking a year off would allow me to decide what to do in the future. I am still saddened when I think of him but understand that life goes on. Since there plenty of free time I decided to paint the interior of our house, clean the garage, and get in good physical shape; my weight was about 210 pounds. The first step was to purchase a mountain bike and start to ride it every day. My first ride consisted of five blocks; that was all the strength I could muster. It clear that riding daily was necessary if weight loss and muscle building were important. So riding the bike every day rain or shine became my main job. Home at that time was near Burlington in Skagit Valley which offered flat and hilly roads to ride. By about June I was riding all over the place including Bellingham and north on the backroads to Mt. Baker area, usually 100 miles or so per day. I lost all the all the weight and gained strength in a short time. However, what really happend was that riding a bicycle allowed me to slow down and take note all that surrounded me as I rode the valley roads and back roads. I would stop and watch birds feeding or making nests, singing their songs. The weather changing from winter to spring and then fall offered an incredable scene, every day there was something different to see. It was beautiful how the trees sway in the wind, plants that were sprouting up everwhere, animals domestic and wild. I began to look at the world as a friendly place. That was the entree of my spiritual journey. By the way, the house did get painted by me and I lost 30 pounds.

Jack S. ICA

February 1988 – I quit!