Grace and Equanimity

Though it is unfashionable in the post-Lance Armstrong era, I am a huge fan of cycling as sport, as exercise, as lifestyle. In Spring 2014, up-and-coming 23-year-old pro Taylor Phinney had a horrendous crash that left him with serious, potentially career-ending, injuries. This interview discusses his recovery efforts, which are interesting if you’re a fan of Phinney or the sport. But even if cycling is meaningless to you, I bet you’ll be moved by Phinney’s grace and emotional response to the injury and subsequent rehabilitation:

I don’t get mad about it. I’ve learned a ton about myself over the past couple of months. I’ve had some really good times and some really bad times… I have a new perspective now, things mean something a bit more to me. Just life in general and mobility and the ability to live and breathe and be a contributing person to society. It all has a whole new meaning to be healthy… it’s something I’ve always been grateful for, being around my dad [Davis Phinney has Parkinson’s disease —Ed.], but it really puts it in a new light when it’s you. When you can’t walk, when you need an assistant and you’re constantly trying to get better…

This is some world-class perspective from a world-class athlete, who has spent literally his whole life preparing for a career that may already be over. May we all be able to deal with adversity and loss with such beautiful equanimity.

Image: Tour de Romandie 2011 Prologue Taylor Phinney by Ludovic Péron is licensed under Creative Commons 2.0 Generic License